The 15-year-old gunman accused of killing five people and injuring two others in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday (Oct. 13) will be tried as an adult.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman made the announcement on Friday (Oct. 14). Lorrin said petitions were filed to have the case moved “to Superior Court and to proceed against the individual as an adult.” Charges have not been announced.
The tragedy unfolded in the Raleigh neighborhood of Hedingham and along the nearby Neuse River Greenway Trail. The first calls to the police came in just after 5 p.m. In a recording obtained by CNN, a witness said the shooter was white and appeared to be around the age of 16. He was described as being dressed in camouflage and was spotted running through the surrounding woods.
“He just walked right through and shot him. He walked by and shot him for no reason,” the caller said of the gunman after he wounded an officer, who was later identified as 29-year-old Gabriel Torres. The off-duty K-9 officer was on his way to work when he was shot.
Other fatally wounded victims included Nicole Connors, 52; Susan Karnatz, 49; Mary Marshall, 35; and James Thompson, 16. Raleigh police officer Casey Clark, 33, was also injured. He was treated and released from the hospital. Marcille Gardner, 59, was critically wounded and remains hospitalized.
The shooter was arrested after evading police for hours. He is reportedly in critical condition. “My heart is heavy, because we don’t have answers as to why this tragedy occurred,” Raleigh Police Chief Estella D. Patterson said during a press conference Friday. Gov. Roy Cooper added, “Those questions will be answered. Some today and more over time. But I think we all know the core truth: No neighborhood, no parent, no child, no grandparent, no one should feel this fear in their communities.”
View the latest report on the mass shooting below.