Police in Raleigh, North Carolina, have identified a 15-year-old boy as the suspect in a shooting that killed five people on Thursday night.
He is currently in serious condition, Police Chief Estella Patterson stated at a press conference on Friday morning. The suspect is being treated at WakeMed in Raleigh, according to WRAL, but authorities have not disclosed the nature of his injuries.
At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing camouflage and carrying a long gun, according to CBS 17.
At present, no motive has been reported.
Gabriel Torres, an off-duty police officer, age 29, Nicole Connors, age 52, Susan Karnatz, age 49, Mary Marshall, age 35, and James Thompson, age 16, were named by authorities as the five victims of the incident.
Police reported that two individuals were hurt, including a Raleigh police officer who has already been released from the hospital and a 59-year-old woman who remains in critical condition.
The shooter opened fire in a Northeast Raleigh neighborhood at 5:00 p.m., but authorities didn’t apprehend the suspect until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, according to officials.
Witnesses characterized the shooter as a “kid,” with one witness telling WRAL that they observed the gunshot from their home’s rear window.
“He was a boy. You simply cannot imagine such a scenario. You hear about school shootings and other incidents, but to actually witness one in your neighborhood is “a witness reported to WRAL.
Another witness who contacted 911 after hearing gunshots in his neighborhood at 5:00 p.m. said to WRAL that he saw a shooter pass through his backyard.
“He had a shotgun with a big barrel,” the witness stated. “He was clad in camouflage. He was carrying a big load that was camouflaged.”
One woman reported to WRAL that she witnessed Torres “bleeding out in the car.”
“I observed the shooter sprinting through the park connected to the Greenway behind the house,” she added. “He looked like an adolescent. He resembled a baby.”
She went on: “It occurred so quickly. Like minutes.”