Raleigh-area teen pleads guilty to 2022 mass shooting that left five dead

Austin David Thompson, who was 15 at the time of the 2022 Raleigh mass shooting that killed five—including his older brother and an off-duty police officer—pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and related charges; sentencing is set for Feb. 2, with possible life in prison and parole eligibility after 25 years, since the death penalty is unavailable for someone that young. The case also involved a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to arrest and notes of Thompson’s online searches about mass shootings, while motive remains unclear.