Police in Raleigh remember fallen officer, 4 others killed in Hedingham shooting: 'It's still fresh'
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Three years to the day of one of the worst shootings Raleigh has seen, the city's police department took an opportunity Monday morning to remember one of their own.
Raleigh Police officer Gabriel Torres was shot and killed as he prepared to go to work on October 13, 2022, in Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood. The alleged assailant and suspect is Austin Thompson, who lived nearby, and was 15 years old at the time of the shooting.
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce held a wreath-laying ceremony at the City of Raleigh's Law Enforcement Training Center, along with dozens of other members of the force to reflect on that incident.
"This is still very fresh for all of us. But especially the family. While three years ago can sometimes sound like a long time. For many, it's just like it happened yesterday," said RPD Major Brian Harrison. "This is obviously just a tough day for us. And number one, as a police department and as a city as a whole, we recognize that we were not the only ones that lost someone that day. So it's just a constant reminder of the fragile world that we live in."
Thompson, who is currently awaiting a February 2026 trial date, is also believed to have killed his older brother, James Thompson (16), Susan Karnatz (49), Nicole Conners (52), and Mary Marshall (34).
"Any time you lose someone you love, whether it be because of a bond of blood or oath...we try to do is just live each day to the fullest," said Harrison. "We remember those that we have lost along the way. And we do things like today, where we just make sure that their memory is never forgotten because that is the most important thing most people will tell you."
According to court documents, Thompson's legal team plans to use the teen's medication prescriptions as a defense strategy in the case.
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