Raleigh mass shooting: Off-duty police officer among five victims killed by gunman, say officials

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Five people were killed in a mass shooting in North Carolina’s capital city Raleigh with the suspected gunman arrested after being “contained” in a house for hours.

The shooter opened fire on Thursday evening at around 5pm along a walking trail in Raleigh city and killed five people, along with an off-duty police officer.

The suspect eluded police for hours before he was cornered in a home and arrested at around 9.37pm, police said.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin confirmed the deaths at a news conference in the city hours after the violent incident on Thursday.

The mayor also said that a second police officer from a Raleigh Police K-9 unit had been shot and was being treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

“This is a sad and tragic day for the city of Raleigh,” Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin told reporters.

Police said the suspected shooter is a white teenage male with a long gun wearing camouflage, according to initial reports. However, his identity and age weren’t released by officials.

“The Raleigh Police Department is currently on the scene of an active shooting in the area of the Neuse River Greenway near Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive. Residents in that area are advised to remain in their homes,” Raleigh Police had earlier tweeted.

In another tweet, police confirmed taking custody of the suspect.

An eyewitness told WRAL that he saw the gunman and heard gunshots in the neighbourhood.

“I heard two gunshots, and they were really loud so I knew something was close by and then I heard three other gunshots,” the witness told the station.

“I saw him basically pass my house in the backyard. He had a long-barrel shotgun. He was dressed in camo. He had a full backpack on that was also camouflage.”

Governor Roy Cooper tweeted that he has spoken with Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and “instructed state law enforcement to provide assistance responding to the active shooter in East Raleigh.”

WakeMed Health and Hospitals system told CNN that it was treating four victims at its trauma centre. No update has been given on their conditions.

The Raleigh shooting is the 25th mass shooting in 2022 in which victims were fatally shot, according to the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database.