North Carolina Police Officer Among 5 Fatally Shot, Suspect Arrested After Manhunt

North Carolina police respond to an active shooter in an east Raleigh neighborhood on Oct. 13, 2022. Courtesy of WTVD

The suspect of a shooting that killed five people including an off-duty police officer in North Carolina’s capital city on Thursday has been taken into custody after a manhunt, according to police.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin confirmed that five people were killed when a gunman opened fire just after 5 p.m. at the Neuse River Greenway in east Raleigh.

Another police officer was among those transported to an area hospital, but did not have life-threatening injuries, she said. The officer was later released while one person remains in critical condition.

In an update at around 10.45 p.m., Lt. Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department said the suspect is a male juvenile who was arrested at around 9.37 p.m.

Borneo noted it was still an active investigation and officers were interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. They plan to provide an update at 8.30 a.m. on Friday.

Police had no further information to release about the four other victims who were killed. Authorities have set up a place for families to gather at WakeMed hospital.

“Tonight terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh. This is a senseless, horrific, and infuriating act of violence that has been committed,” said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

Cooper thanked law enforcement for their efforts to capture the suspect, stressing that they ran toward the active shooter “who was ready to kill people” and not away.

Police Response

Upon initial reports of the shooting, police closed sections of the area and advised residents to stay inside while they hunted the suspect down and contained him in a residence before arresting him, police said earlier.

“This is a sad and tragic day for the City of Raleigh,” Baldwin told reporters at around 8:30 p.m. local time on Thursday night while the suspect was still at large.

“At about 8 p.m., Raleigh Police reported that they had a suspect contained in a residence in the area. Raleigh Police are being assisted by numerous local and state law enforcement agencies,” she added.

Baldwin thanked the police officers “who even now, right now, are protecting us, and putting themselves in harm’s way to arrest the suspect.”

“We really appreciate them,” she added.

‘Tragic Day’

Earlier, Borneo said it was a tragic day for the police department and asked for prayers.

Borneo said Police Chief Estella Patterson was returning to Raleigh from a professional conference and was being provided “minute-by-minute” updates on the evolution of what was then an active investigation.

As of the 8:30 p.m. press conference, Borneo was unable to provide further details about the conditions of the victims nor whether law enforcement had established communication with the suspect.

“What we know, as the mayor has said, [is] that the suspect is contained. That suspect is contained,” he said at the time.

Earlier, before the suspect was taken into custody, Raleigh’s mayor called for the community to rally behind the families of the victims.

“All of us in Raleigh right now need to come together. We need to support those in our community who have suffered a terrible loss, a loss of a loved one. We need to support the family of the police officer who was killed and also the police officer who was shot,” Baldwin said.

The mayor also called for an end to “mindless violence in America,” saying “we must do more.”