“In this case, there is no doubt [because of] Mass loss of life, and in my opinion this case will be moved to Superior Court,” Freeman told the Raleigh News and Observer. Freeman’s office did not respond to a request for more details.
In North Carolina, cases involving juveniles originate in district court, although prosecutors can seek to transfer them to adult courts. If a judge determines a probable cause for first-degree murder, the case is automatically transferred to a higher court.
Officials have not publicly identified the suspect. The Washington Post did not reveal his name because he is underage and has not been formally charged as an adult.
The 15-year-old was in police custody after a four-hour search on Thursday and remained in a critical condition on Friday, according to police. Police did not say how he was injured.
The Raleigh Police Department did not immediately respond to questions Saturday about the status of the investigation, including whether police have determined a motive or how the gun was obtained.
For Raleigh residents, the painful shock of being the latest U.S. city to experience a mass shooting continued to spread through neighborhoods Saturday.
“When something like this happens in another neighborhood, you always think you’ll know what to say or do, and then it shocks you,” said Patteson Dixon, 30, a North Raleigh resident. community.” “You feel dizzy and don’t know what to say to make you and your neighbors feel safe again. You want to know what the course of action is at that moment, but you never do.”
Knightdale High School, where the youngest shooting victim was a junior, postponed homecoming weekend to join the community in mourning. A vigil is planned for Saturday afternoon in memory of the victims: Nicole Connors, 52; Susan Kanats, 49; Mary Marshall, 35; James Roger Thompson, 16; and 29-year-old Gabriel Torres.
“I knew Raleigh was going to stick with it,” Dixon said. “I can feel it, but those affected are right to demand some kind of action so this doesn’t happen again.”
For some in the community, the obvious move is gun control. Becky Ceartas, executive director of the Raleigh-based North Carolina Action Fund Against Gun Violence, called for legislation to reduce gun violence at the national level.
“Since the shooter was a minor, there was a question of where he got the weapon,” Setas said. “Minors often get these weapons from their own home or from a relative’s home, and one of the easiest steps we can take is to create a statewide program to educate gun owners on the need to protect their firearms. That’s still not the case in North Carolina. s plan.”
Other measures could include laws allowing firearms to be removed from a person’s home if an “extreme risk” of harming themselves or others can be determined.
“We’ve been addressing this in the state for years, and the legislature can do better,” Ceartas said.
In 911 recordings obtained on the day of the shooting, callers can be heard describing the gunman as wearing “camouflage” and “looking like a 15-year-old.”anonymous The man who called from Osprey Cove Drive near Neuse River Greenway said the gunman had a “shotgun” and “killed my buddy”, who he said was an officer. The officer, later identified as Torres, was off duty and heading to work.