Austin Thompson pleads guilty in 2022 Raleigh mass shooting that killed 5

An 18-year-old admitted Wednesday to carrying out the 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, that left five people dead, including his older brother and a police officer, and pleaded guilty to murder and several other charges just days before the trial.

The Associated Press reported that Austin David Thompson pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault with a weapon on a police officer.

Thompson was 15 when prosecutors said he opened fire in a Raleigh neighborhood, killing Thompson’s brother James Thompson, as well as 52-year-old Nicole Connors, 29-year-old Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres, 34-year-old Mary Marshall and 49-year-old Susan Karnatz. He was scheduled to face a state murder trial later this month before changing his plea.

Thompson’s attorneys announced Tuesday that Thompson will plead guilty to all charges, following months of pretrial motions intended to limit the evidence and testimony prosecutors could present. In court records, his lawyers said avoiding the trial would “spare the community and the victims from as much trauma as possible.”

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Thompson, wearing a quarter-zip sweater and pants, said few words as Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway questioned him and formally accepted the guilty plea.

Ridgeway’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 2, and the hearing is expected to last several days. Thompson and his attorney confirmed that no plea agreement had been reached with prosecutors.

Thompson is not eligible for the death penalty because he was a minor at the time of the shooting. Ridgeway faces life in prison without parole, but state law also allows sentences that make him eligible for parole after at least 25 years. A recent decision by state appellate judges capped the amount of time juvenile offenders must serve before becoming eligible for parole at age 40.

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Defense attorney Kellie Mannette touches Austin Thompson’s shoulder during a hearing in Wake County Superior Court on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

The case was postponed while Thompson recovered from a gunshot wound that Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said was self-inflicted before his arrest; His lawyers claimed that this injury caused serious brain damage.

In court, Deputy District Attorney Patrick Latour described the sequence of events that occurred on October 13, 2022, and summarized the evidence that prosecutors will present at trial.

Latour said Thompson first shot James and then stabbed him multiple times at the family’s home in the Hedingham neighborhood. Thompson then walked into the neighborhood armed with a shotgun and handgun, killing Connors and then Torres, prosecutors said. One of our neighbors escaped with injuries.

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Raleigh Police Department Officer Gabriel Torres, who was fatally shot in a mass shooting on October 13, 2022. (Fox News Channel)

Thompson then continued the attack on a nearby greenway, where he fatally shot Marshall and Karnatz, authorities said.

Officers eventually located Thompson near McConnell Oliver Drive, where he opened fire, wounding Raleigh Police Officer Casey Clark, police said. Multiple officers returned fire, firing approximately 23 shots at Thompson before he was handcuffed.

“He was wearing camouflage clothing and a backpack at the time and had a handgun in his waistband. The backpack contained various items, including several types of shotgun/rifle ammunition. A large knife sheath was found clipped to his belt and a large hunting knife was found in the front of the outbuilding. A shotgun and shotgun shells were lying on the ground next to him,” Raleigh Police Chief Estella D. Patterson said in a report at the time.

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Tracey Howard tears up as she hears the prosecutor describe the murder of his wife, Nicole Connors, during a hearing in Wake County Superior Court on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Several new details about Thompson’s reasoning were presented at Wednesday’s hearing. His lawyers wrote this week that the brain damage he suffered during the trial left him unable to explain why he carried out the shootings.

Latour said a note written by Thompson explained why he killed his brother, but its contents were not disclosed in court and were ordered sealed. Latour also said investigators found records showing Thompson searching the internet for information about mass shootings and related topics; This is proof that the defense can object to the sentence.

Marshall’s fiancé, Robert Steele, said after the hearing that Thompson should be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

“This is justice,” Steele said. “He took the lives of five people and tried to take the lives of two more.”

In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly concealing a handgun and received a suspended prison sentence and probation, according to authorities, who said he was with his son after the attack.

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Investigators also seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition (some unloaded) from Thompson’s home, according to search warrants. Latour said Thompson and his family were avid hunters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.