Use of force by Raleigh police lawful in capture of Hedingham shooting suspect, DA says
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County's district attorney released a statement Monday afternoon saying in part that during efforts to take the juvenile suspect in the Raleigh mass shooting into custody, law enforcement utilized deadly force only in response to deadly force being used.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman directed the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation on Monday to close the criminal investigation into the use of force by law enforcement
"At the time law enforcement responded to the scene of the mass violence incident and began their search for the juvenile subject, they were aware that multiple individuals had been killed and that the assailant was still at large ... State law provides for the use of deadly force by law enforcement under these circumstances. No further investigation into the use of force is required at this time," wrote DA Lorrin Freeman.
The suspect, identified by his family as 15-year-old Austin Thompson, is accused of killing five people and injuring two in a shooting rampage Oct. 13 in Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood.
The suspect was taken to WakeMed for treatment of injuries that ultimately were non-fatal. Evidence collected at the scene suggests that the juvenile suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Freeman said that a "thorough review of evidence at the crime scene" including bodycam footage does not support a finding that any of the rounds fired by law enforcement struck him.
While the use of force portion of the investigation is now closed, the investigation into the shooting is ongoing, including the search for a motive.
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