By Gary D. Robertson
Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina Democratic legislators pleaded with the General Assembly’s Republican majority on Tuesday to consider gun safety and mental health measures, citing last week’s shootings in Raleigh that left five people dead.

Democratic lawmakers, one a resident of the east Raleigh subdivision where the shooting rampage began last Thursday, said the public expects elected officials to work together to pass laws designed to make them safer. Police attributed the shooting to a 15-year-old boy.

“This is an issue that transcends party. It’s an issue about our safety, the safety of our children, the safety of our state,” Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue said at a news conference. Blue has lived in the Hedingham community where the shootings occurred for over 30 years “and never felt that I would be unsafe in the community where we raised our kids until last week.”

Previous Democratic requests for Republicans to permit debate and votes on gun-control measures and others to keep weapons out of the hands of people at extreme risk of becoming violent have been unsuccessful. Similar calls have arisen in North Carolina and in other states after mass shootings, such as those earlier this year in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.

“My question today is now the time for a discussion of gun reform, or do we have to wait yet for another mass shooting?” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Wake County Democrat.

Authorities haven’t disclosed what the teen fired first in the neighborhood and later on a walking trail along the Neuse River. One 911 caller said t he suspect was carrying a shotgun. Police said the 15-year-old was hospitalized in critical condition following his arrest, but authorities haven’t said how he was injured.

House Speaker Tim Moore, a Cleveland County Republican, said in a statement later Tuesday that lawmakers for now “should remain focused on praying for the victims’ families and supporting law enforcement rather than seizing the moment for a political debate.”

“We need to allow law enforcement to complete their investigation before jumping to any conclusions about policy changes,” Moore added.

Some Democratic legislative proposals stand little chance of passage when lawmakers reconvene later this year or in the new session in January. They include background checks for all gun sales and barring people under 21 from owning assault-style weapons.

Democratic speakers said Tuesday that they were hopeful for bipartisan support on expanding further mental health services for young people, including those through schools. The two-year state budget approved in late 2021 provided funds for schools to hire the equivalent of 115 additional school psychologists. Blue said the school psychologist-to-student ratio in public schools remains low.

Democrats believe there is some Republican interest in creating a legal process for the removal of firearms from someone believed to be an extreme risk of harming themselves or others. Sweeping gun violence prevention legislation passed by Congress with support of some Republicans following the Uvalde shootings provides grants to states that initiate what also are known as “red flag” laws.

“I think I am starting to hear more willingness by others to engage in conversation,” said Rep. Marcia Morey, a Durham County Democrat. She acknowledged later that such a legal process wouldn’t apply to juveniles, but other laws could be implemented to discourage gun access for youth.

That could include a bipartisan House measure, approved by a near-unanimous margin last year, that would direct and fund a two-year education campaign on the safe storage of firearms, including ways to receive a free gun lock.

State Sen. Bobby Hanig, a Pasquotank County Republican who sponsored the bill when he served in the House until recently, is strongly opposed to restrictive gun measures. Hanig said the education campaign is about increasing the probability that gun owners will use common sense and keep weapons securely away from someone who might want to do harm to themselves.

“If the gun is put away and it’s in a safe, we’ve just saved somebody’s life,” Hanig said.

 

Parents of accused  shooter express sorrow

By Jonathan Drew

Associated Press

The parents of a 15-year-old boy accused of killing five people in a North Carolina shooting rampage released a statement Tuesday saying they are “overcome with grief” and saw no warning signs before the killings.

Alan and Elise Thompson issued the statement through a lawyer that acknowledges the pain caused by their son, Austin, and expresses grief for the five killed on Thursday, including their other teenage son, 16-year-old James. Witnesses described in 911 calls that the shooter opened fire with a shotgun in a neighborhood northeast of downtown Raleigh and along an adjacent walking trail.

“Our son Austin inflicted immeasurable pain on the Raleigh community, and we are overcome with grief for the innocent lives lost,” the statement said.

The statement said they will fully cooperate with law enforcement to help investigators understand what happened, but they have questions themselves. Authorities have not discussed a motive for the shooting.

“There were never any indications or warning signs that Austin was capable of doing anything like this,” the statement said.

Reached by phone Tuesday night, Elise Thompson declined to comment outside of the statement.

Austin Thompson remains hospitalized in critical condition following his arrest on Thursday night, hours after the shooting began.

The Wake County prosecutor has said she will pursue adult charges against the suspect. Authorities had previously identified the shooter as a 15-year-old boy but had not publicly released the name.

Callers who dialed 911 during the shooting rampage described encountering bodies on the streets or front yards of their neighborhood and along a trail popular with runners and bikers, according to recordings released by authorities. Witnesses said shooter was wearing camouflage and using a shotgun in the attacks that began shortly after 5 p.m.

The shooting drew officers from numerous agencies to the neighborhood as the suspect eluded capture for several hours. The victims, ranging in age from 16 to their late 50s and were felled going about their daily routines, police and loved ones said. Among those killed was an off-duty police officer. In addition to those killed, two others were wounded.