Raleigh shooting suspect killed brother at start of rampage, cops say

The 15-year-old suspect in the recent mass shooting in Raleigh started the assault by killing his older brother, police said Thursday.

Austin Thompson fatally shot and stabbed his 16-year-old sibling, James, on Oct. 13 before leaving his body in their house in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood, cops said in a report filed to Raleigh’s city manager.

Police did not name Thompson as the suspect because he’s younger than 18, but his parents identified him Tuesday in an emotional letter.

Cops located the teenager about 90 minutes after he opened fire, according to the report. Officers cornered him in a barn where he opened fire, police said. The gunfire injured Officer Casey Clark, who was released from a hospital that same night.

Raleigh police returned fire. Cops tallied 23 shots fired, and two officers were placed on administrative leave.

About three hours after the confrontation, officers entered the barn and found Thompson suffering from a gunshot wound, the report said. On Thursday, he remained in a local hospital in critical condition.

Authorities said that after Thompson killed his brother, he fatally shot Nicole Connors, 52; off-duty Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres, 29; Mary Marshall, 34; and Susan Karnatz, 49. He also killed Connors’ dog, police said.

Marcille Lynn Gardner, a 60-year-old woman wounded in the shooting, remained hospitalized Thursday in critical but stable condition, according to the report.

“There does not appear to be any connection between the victims … other than they lived in the same neighborhood,” police said.