Five people were killed and two others injured after a gunman opened fire on a walking trail in Raleigh, North Carolina, local officials said, prompting a police chase through residential areas that lasted for hours.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin confirmed the casualties during a news conference on Thursday night, noting that an off-duty police officer was among those killed. Police also said two people with injuries were hospitalized for treatment, one of whom remains in critical condition, and that the suspect was apprehended around 9:30pm local time. He has been identified only as a white male juvenile.
“Tonight, terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said at the same presser. “This is a senseless, horrific and infuriating act of violence that has been committed.”
The shootings were reported around 5pm on a wooded walking trail in a Raleigh suburb, according to Baldwin, who added that the suspect was “contained” inside a house after a three-hour manhunt through several neighborhoods. A number of law enforcement agencies took part in the search, including local police, the State Highway Patrol aviation unit, State Capitol officers, and agents from the State Bureau of Investigation and Alcohol Law Enforcement.
During that time, local residents were advised to remain in their homes and to contact police if they saw anything out of place. Drivers were also asked to avoid the area, where a fleet of police squad cars and ambulances were seen in images circulating on social media.
Police Lt. Jason Borneo said the investigation into the shootings remains active, and that officers were “currently on scene, collecting evidence and speaking with witnesses.” Another update is expected on Friday morning.