North Carolina shooting: 15-year-old suspect to be charged as an adult

A 15-year-old boy alleged to have killed five people and injured two in a shooting rampage in Raleigh, North Carolina, will be charged as an adult, authorities said.

Authorities did not immediately comment on what charges the teen could face. But the Wake county district attorney, Lorrin Freeman, said adult charges would be brought.

The Raleigh police chief, Estella Patterson, said the teen was captured hours after the victims were shot on Thursday evening. The suspect was hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities did not immediately say how he was injured. Patterson said police had not determined a motive.

Gunfire broke out around 5pm in a residential area north-east of downtown Raleigh, said the mayor, Mary-Ann Baldwin. Police said the teenager fled to a walking trail and continued shooting.

An officer, Gabriel Torres, 29, was among those killed. The other victims were Nicole Connors, 52; Mary Marshall, 34; Susan Karnatz, 49; and Thompson.

The suspect eluded officers for hours, across a crime scene that stretched for two miles, before he was cornered in a home and arrested, Patterson said.

Multiple 911 calls were made as the shooting took place, records of which were released by Raleigh police. People told emergency dispatchers they encountered bodies on the street, on front lawns, and along the trail, which is popular with runners and bikers.

Callers said the shooter was wearing camouflage and carrying a shotgun. One of the first calls came in around 5.12pm, a caller reporting that he saw Torres shot.

Another caller reported hearing gunshots and screams and seeing bodies.

Tom Karnatz said his wife was an avid runner.

Woodrow Glass, a 74-year-old retiree and neighbor of Connors, said he talked to her nearly every day as she walked her dog.

In a statement, Joe Biden said he and Jill Biden were grieving and his administration was working with Cooper to help local authorities.

Omer Rosas, a sophomore at Knightdale high school, said he was shocked to learn his classmate was arrested.

The shooting was the latest in a violent week across the US. Five people were killed last Sunday at a home in Inman, South Carolina. On Wednesday, two police officers were killed in Connecticut after apparently being drawn into an ambush. Officers were also shot in Greenville, Mississippi; Decatur, Illinois; Philadelphia, Las Vegas and central Florida. Two officers, one in Greenville and one Las Vegas, were killed.