An accused teenage gunman’s “racist and violent” past has been revealed two years after he slaughtered five people.
Austin Thompson allegedly shot five people and injured two others in the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina on October 13, 2022, when he was just 15 years old.
The families of his victims have since filed a 162-page lawsuit against him, his parents, the neighborhood homeowners association and private police — claiming they all knew Thompson was making “antisocial, racist, aggressive and violent comments and conduct’ before he left. on his murder spree, CBS 17 reports.
The lawsuit details neighbors’ complaints to the homeowners association about Thompson, describing him as “aggressive, creepy and strange.”
All of the victims filed complaints against Thompson in the days before the shooting, the complaint alleges. according to WRAL.
Neighbors claim in a new lawsuit that gunman Austin Thompson (pictured right with his brother James) had made “antisocial, racist, aggressive and violent comments and behavior” before continuing his killing spree on October 13, 2022.
Neighbors claim Thompson frequently argued with others and made racist comments at least twice.
He allegedly encountered one of his victims, Nicole Connors, a 52-year-old black woman, several days before the shooting, prompting her to file a complaint about his behavior.
She was shot 34 times, more than any other victim.
The suit also alleges that just days before the shooting, the teen was seen carrying a backpack full of belongings and walking the same path as during his rampage, in what a neighbor reported as suspicious.
It is also claimed that Thompson and his father, Alan, would brag about the number of guns they owned and shared their desire to buy more.
Yet, prosecutors allege, private police hired to monitor the community took no action after receiving calls about gunfire in the neighborhood the day of the shooting.
The Capitol Special Police are also accused of making no attempt to stop the attack, locate Thompson and notify the Raleigh Police Department of the incident in a timely manner.
“The complaint describes how Thompson, a known threat to the community, was allowed to roam freely with his weapons, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and serious injuries to others,” the law firm Howard Stallings told WRAL.
The lawsuit says Thompson made racist comments and notes that he shot Black woman Nicole Connors 34 times — more than any other victim
Thompson also allegedly shot Connor’s dog Sami (pictured) and left Connor’s best friend, 60-year-old special education teacher Marcille “Lynn” Gardner, seriously injured in the front yard.
But a lawyer representing Thompson’s parents, Alan and Elise, claims they had no idea their son had violent tendencies.
“Austin had no history of mental illness, no prior diagnosis at all,” Russell Babb said.
‘There were no incidents of bullying either at school or in his own home by his brother James.’
Capitol Special Police owner Roy G. Taylor also said his employee arrived in the area a few minutes before her 5 p.m. shift that day and was immediately stopped by someone who told her someone had been shot.
The victim was off-duty Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres, who his employee began caring for when Raleigh officers arrived on the scene and took over.
However, the lawsuit alleges that the private police officer “…could not provide the street name where the shooting occurred, could not provide any description of the shooter, and could not even provide an address for actual police to respond to.” ‘
It also says, “She failed to investigate the shots fired from the shooter’s home that callers heard, a failure that turned a home shooting into a mass shooting.”
Other victims include Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to start his shift
Thompson is also accused of fatally shooting Susan Karantz, 49, a regular runner on the Neuse River Trail, and Mary Marshall, 35, a Navy veteran who was buried on Oct. 28, 2022 — the day before she was to marry her fiancé. the love of her life,” Robert Steele
The gunman first began shooting on Sahalee Way and then made his way to the Neuse River Greenway, where he shot several victims. He fled to a shed and was arrested from there
Authorities say Thompson first killed his brother, James, 16, at their home on Sahalee Way that evening around 5:30 p.m.
He then shot and killed Connors and her dog Sami, leaving Connor’s best friend, 60-year-old special education teacher Marcille “Lynn” Gardner, seriously injured in the front yard.
From there, Thompson made his way to Osprey Cove Drive, where he shot Officer Torres, 29, who was on his way to start his shift.
Thompson left the residential area and headed to the Neuse River Trail and Greenway, where he shot his last two victims: Susan Karantz, 49, who regularly walked that trail, and Mary Marshall, 35, a Navy veteran who was buried on October 28. 2022 – the day before she was to marry her fiancé, ‘the love of her life’, Robert Steele.
Officers are seen blocking some side streets in Raleigh as Thompson allegedly continued his killing spree
Callers who called 911 during the shooting described encountering bodies on the street or in the front yard of their neighborhood and along a path popular with runners and cyclists.
Callers who called 911 during the shooting described encountering bodies on the street or in the front yard of their neighborhood and along a path popular with runners and cyclists, according to recordings released by authorities.
Eyewitnesses at the time also said they saw Thompson, who had recently been released from the hospital, wearing camouflage clothing with a backpack and black boots, crouched down, and said he was “between 13 and 16 years old” and looked extremely young .
‘He looked like a baby. I just don’t even have the words to explain it. This is not okay.’
Thompson will now be charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious injury at a trial in September 2025, when he will be tried as an adult.
His father recently pleaded guilty to keeping a loaded gun used in the shooting on his nightstand.
He was subsequently sentenced to one year of probation.