Raleigh mass shooting: Boxes of ammo, rifles, pistols and letter found inside home of accused teen shooter

Dozens of boxes of ammunition, multiple weapons and a letter describing his brother's death were found in Austin Thompson's home, according to search warrants obtained by WRAL News.

A potential trial date has been scheduled for Sept. 22, 2025, for Austin Thompson, the teenager accused in Raleigh's Oct. 13, 2022, Hedingham mass shooting.

Search warrants list items seized from the Thompsons' home on on Sahalee Way, including 170 boxes and bags of ammunition, 45 already empty, and at least 11 weapons, including three 12 gauge shotguns, five 22 caliber rifles and two 22 calliber pistols.

The list also cites projectiles, knives, rifle magazines, shell casings and bullets.

The warrant also describes a letter written by Austin Thompson, which "describes in some detail" how James Thompson, Austin's brother, was shot and then stabbed until he stopped breathing. Police found James Thompson, one of five people killed that day, dead in the master bathroom of his family's home.

A search warrant for the accused shooter's cell phone states Austin Thompson used Safari to search "active shooter NC" on Google while the incident was unfolding. Austin Thompson allegedly researched previous active shooter and mass killing incidents, the age of shooters, weapons and ammunition, according to the warrant.

Authorities also searched Austin Thompson's Twitter (X) account and his Wake County Public Schools email.

Thompson, 16, is believed to be in custody in a juvenile facility and was appointed a public defender. The teenager is facing five counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill and one count of assault with firearm on law enforcement officer.

In October, a judge ruled Thompson -- who was 15 when investigators say he opened fire in an east Raleigh neighborhood -- should be tried as an adult.

In January, an earlier search warrant detailed a stockpile of weapons found with accused teen shooter in the shed where he was arrested.

The items seized from the shed include a shotgun, $772 in cash, multiple pistols, "projectiles," knives, rifles, rifle magazines, shell casings, ammunition rounds and bullets.

Austin Thompson's father faces misdemeanor charge

Alan Thompson, Austin's father, is facing misdemeanor charges for storing a firearm in a manner accessible to a minor. His next court date is May 30.

Alan Thompson was in contact with his son on Oct. 13 as Austin was being tracked by police, according to the warrants.

WRAL News asked District Attorney Lorrin Freeman why Austin Thompson's parents don't face more serious charges, like involuntary manslaughter, which James and Jennifer Crumbley face in Michigan.

James and Jennifer Crumbley's 17-year-old son, Ethan Crumbley, is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to murder and terrorism. Ethan Crumbley opened fire on Nov. 30, 2021, at Oxford High School in Michigan, killing four students and injuring others.

Freeman said on Thursday that the Hedingham shooting reflects "significant differences" to the Michigan case.

"It is additionally of note that the parents in the Michigan case did not cooperate with investigators and prosecutors from the beginning of that terrible situation," Freeman said. "While it is inappropriate for me to comment on the currently pending case involving Thompson, the public record would reflect significant differences in these cases."

Furthermore, Freeman said "the facts and evidence in the tragedy in Oakland County, Michigan demonstrated aggravating factors that made seeking an involuntary manslaughter conviction against the assailant’s parents possible. Involuntary manslaughter requires a level of criminal negligence including among other things failing to heed clear warnings that risks exist."

Case against Austin Thompson proceeds slowly

District Attorney Lorrin Freeman tells WRAL News this case has a massive amount of evidence to work through.

Thompson's case will not go to trial until 2025. Thompson will not face the death penalty if convicted, as federal law prohibits the death penalty for those who are younger than 18 at the time of their crimes.

Freeman previously told WRAL News the case is one of her top priorities in office, in part due to a massive amount of evidence to sift through.

"It is a case we have taken seriously from the beginning and one that brings challenges due to the number of victims ... and [the] fact that it was a multi-agency response," Freeman said.

If Thompson is convicted, he could face life in prison for each of the five homicides, Freeman said.

Attorneys Roger Smith and Russell Babb are representing Alan Thompson and his wife, Elise Thompson, along with a public defender.

Timeline: Five killed in Raleigh mass shooting

Five people were killed in the Oct. 13, 2022, rampage that started at Thompson's home on Sahalee Way and preceded through the Hedingham neighborhood to the Neuse River Greenway.

Those victims were:

• James Thompson, 16, brother of the suspect
• Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work at the Raleigh Police Department
• Nicole Conners, 52, who was shot on her front porch with her dog
• Susan Karnatz, 49, who was running on the Neuse River Greenway
• Mary Marshall, 34, who was shot on the Neuse River Greenway

Thompson also allegedly shot and injured two people:

• Raleigh police officer Casey Clark was injured during the search for the shooter
• Marcille "Lynn" Gardner, a special education teacher, who lived in the Hedingham neighborhood

Following the shootings, Thompson was arrested at a shed located beside a home on McConnell Oliver Drive, close to 6 miles away from his own home.

Another search warrant states Thompson barricaded himself in the shed, where a shootout occurred with law enforcement before the teenager was taken into custody. It is believed that Thompson had planned to use the shed to hide weapons and change clothes.

Investigators seized multiple weapons and items from the shed, include a shotgun, $772 in cash, multiple pistols, "projectiles," knives, rifles, rifle magazines, shell casings, ammunition rounds and bullets.