North Carolina shooting: what happened in Raleigh, how many people were shot, have police made an arrest?

Five people have been killed by a gunman who opened fire along a walking trail in North Carolina.

An off-duty police officer was among those killed in Raleigh by the suspect, who police only described as a white, juvenile male. The shooter eluded officers for hours before he was cornered in a house and arrested, police said.

He was later arrested. His identity and age were not released. It is the latest mass shooting in America in 2022 and comes hours after Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison for an attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in February 2018.

What happened in the Raleigh shooting?

The gunfire broke out at around 5pm local time on Thursday (14 October) along the Neuse River Greenway in a residential area north-east of downtown, Raleigh mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said. Officers from numerous law enforcement agencies swarmed the area, closing roads and warning residents to stay inside while they searched for the gunman.

Two people, including another police officer, were taken to hospital. The officer was later released, but the other survivor remains in critical condition.

How many people were killed in the shooting?

Police have confirmed that five people were killed in the shooting in North Carolina’s capital city on Thursday. A police officer is among those who died in the attack.

Governor Roy Cooper told reporters: “Tonight, terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh. This is a senseless horrific and infuriating act of violence that has been committed.”

Authorities did not offer any details on a motive, but Raleigh mayor Ms Baldwin joined Mr Cooper in decrying the violence. “We must stop this mindless violence in America, we must address gun violence,” she said. “We have much to do, and tonight we have much to mourn.”

Have the police made an arrest?

The shooter eluded the authorities for hours after the shooting in Raleigh on Thursday. However he was eventually cornered in a house and arrested.

Police have only confirmed that the suspect is a white, juvenile male. No further details have been released about the suspect.

Raleigh is just the latest in America’s mass shooting epidemic

The Raleigh shooting was the latest in a violent week across America. Five people were killed on Sunday (9 October) in a shooting at a home in Inman, South Carolina.

On Wednesday (12 October) night, two police officers were fatally shot in Connecticut after apparently being drawn into an ambush by an emergency call about possible domestic violence.

Police officers have been shot this week in Greenville, Mississippi; Decatur, Illinois; Philadelphia, Las Vegas and central Florida. Two of those officers, one in Greenville and one Las Vegas, were killed.

Thursday’s violence was the 25th mass killing in 2022 in which the victims were fatally shot, according to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database. A mass killing is defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator.

It comes as a school gunman who murdered 17 people at a school in Parkland, Florida has dodged the death penalty.