A mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina took five lives on Thursday night. The shooting occurred in east Raleigh, which is normally a fairly peaceful area, starting on Thursday afternoon in the Neuse River park area.
The shooting killed five individuals, one of whom was a cop who was not on duty. A male minor was arrested following the mass shooting according to Raleigh police.
What Happened?
According to reports, a male teen entered the greenway with a shotgun and first shot at a police officer who was off work at the time, fatally wounding him.
He then began firing at others in the Neuse park area, killing four more and then fleeing. Neighbors report seeing the suspect run rapidly across their yards while fleeing the scene.
Dressed in camouflage with assorted tactical gear, the male suspect then apparently ran to a barn where he was later accosted by police during a long standoff.
He appears to have tried to kill himself; although conflicting reports are coming out about exactly what occurred during the police apprehension of the suspected shooter.
This Thursday evening a mass shooting occurred in Raleigh, North Carolina. 5 people have been killed, including an off-duty police officer. The suspect, a 15-year-old male, was apprehended at a barn & has been taken to a hospital after a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. pic.twitter.com/yQ2oKJwV3V
— ♔ 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗹 (@JURYR00M) October 14, 2022
Who is the Suspect?
The suspect is reportedly a 15-year-old male who was arrested hours after the attack. As noted, he was seen fleeing the scene by witnesses and later located at an area farm property by officers who had been combing the area.
According to reports, he was arrested in a barn away from the scene of the shootings a few hours after opening fire. He tried to shoot himself in the head and it is not clear whether or not he will survive.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin called it a “tragic day” for her community and noted the loss of the officer hits especially hard for law enforcement.
Another officer with the canine department also suffered injuries in the shooting, but they are not life-threatening.
East Raleigh and Raleigh as whole is great a place to live. The shooting in #Raleigh is symbolic of a sick nation not city. #Hedingham is large quiet golf course community.
— Meek Inherit Earth (@MeekTakingOver) October 14, 2022
Guns or Mental Health?
The age-old debate will now start again to try to pinpoint whether the problem is guns or mental health. Though how did a 15-year-old legally purchase a firearm in North Carolina anyway?
The idea that gun access under the law is the problem just makes no real sense. This is clearly an issue of people wanting to murder people, including minors.
As we’ve seen in countries without as many guns per capita, individuals still manage to access weapons including non-firearms to carry out their violent fantasies.
There is clearly a mental health crisis in America. There is a social collapse of families and faith that’s going to require concerted action and intention to resolve.
The COVID lockdowns only made it worse. Blaming this all on guns is entirely illogical. There’s something very, very wrong in America, but it goes far beyond guns.
