North Carolina
North Carolina teen pleads guilty to killing 5 in 2022 shooting spree
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A North Carolina teenager admitted to killing five people, including his older brother and a police officer, in a 2022 mass shooting in the state’s capital, days before he was scheduled to face trial next month.
Austin David Thompson, now 18, pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault of an officer with a gun, court records show. The guilty plea came a day after Thompson’s attorneys filed a written notice of intent in Wake County court.
“After lengthy discussions with his attorneys about how a trial would proceed, he has decided he wishes to save the community and the victims from as much additional infliction of trauma as possible,” attorneys Kellie Mannette and Deonte’ Thomas wrote in the notice.
In October 2022, Thompson went on a shooting spree in a residential neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina, before opening fire again along a walking trail, authorities said. Five people were killed, and two others were injured in the attack.
Thompson had been scheduled to go to trial for the murders in February. A judge set a sentencing hearing, which is expected to take several days, on Feb. 2, according to court records.
Since Thompson was 15 years old at the time of the shooting, he is not eligible for the death penalty. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
What happened in the 2022 Raleigh shooting?
The hourslong shooting unfolded on Oct. 13, 2022, in a residential area northeast of downtown Raleigh, according to authorities. The shooting began at around 5 p.m. local time near the Neuse River Greenway Trail, a trail that runs through part of the city.
Thompson first fatally shot and stabbed his brother in their home before shooting four other people on the streets of Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood, authorities said. He then fled toward a nearby walking trail, where he shot at two more people.
Thompson eluded law enforcement for hours — setting off a manhunt across a crime scene that stretched for 2 miles — before he was cornered in a shed, according to authorities. After a standoff, authorities said Thompson was taken into custody with what appeared to be a self-inflicted shot to the head and was in critical condition.
“While the serious brain injury he suffered has made it such that Austin cannot explain why he committed this shooting, he has always accepted that he did this,” Thompson’s attorneys wrote in his notice of intent. “He recognizes the deep pain he has caused the victims’ families as well as his own family.”
The victims killed were identified as Thompson’s brother, James Roger Thompson, 16; Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29; Nicole Connors, 52; Mary Marshall, 34; and Susan Karnatz, 49. Torres was heading to work when the shooting occurred, authorities said.
Two people were injured, including another police officer and a 59-year-old woman, according to authorities.
In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly storing a handgun that authorities said Thompson used in the shootings, CBS 17 and ABC 11 reported at the time. He received a suspended sentence and probation.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Claire Thornton, USA TODAY
North Carolina
2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers
Here are the voter turnout numbers for the 2026 primary election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Hyde County had the highest voter turnout, while Onslow County had the lowest turnout. Check out what the voter turnout in your county was below:
BERTIE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
31.85% (3,911 out of 12,280)
CARTERET COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
29.06% (16,543 out of 56,931)
CRAVEN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
18.63% (14,119 out of 75,778)
DUPLIN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
21.93% (6,981 out of 31,832)
EDGECOMBE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
18.16% (6,428 out of 35,396)
GREENE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
19.70% (2,147 out of 10,900)
HYDE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
37.27% (1,123 out of 3,013)
JONES COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
25.91% (1,805 out of 6,966)
LENOIR COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
16.73% (6,251 out of 37,371)
MARTIN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
17.61% (2,858 out of 16,228)
ONSLOW COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
11.44% (14,816 out of 129,537)
PAMLICO COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
24.03% (2,446 out of 10,180)
PITT COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
15.71% (19,429 out of 123,705)
TYRRELL COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
30.49% (723 out of 2,371)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
28.66% (2,312 out of 8,067)
WAYNE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
21.49% (16,408 out of 76,358)
North Carolina
Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 6:41PM
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina schools and businesses took part in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.
The National Weather Service led the drill at 9:30 a.m., broadcasting it on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System. Schools, workplaces and households across the state were encouraged to join in.
The National Weather Service didn’t issue a follow up alert to mark the end of the drill. Instead, each school or business wrapped up once they felt they had practiced the procedures thoroughly.
Wednesday’s drill also replaced the regular weekly NOAA Weather Radio test.
SEE | New warning for parents amid new ‘fire-breathing’ social media trend
Make sure to download the ABC 11 Mobile App ABC11 North Carolina Apps for Connected TV, Mobile News, Echo
Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
North Carolina
North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam
Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025.
Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional district as ballots continue to be counted.
In a race seen as an early test of whether Democratic voters desire generational change within the party, Foushee holds a lead of just over 1,000 votes with 99% of results in so far, according to the Associated Press.
Under state law, provisional votes will be counted in the coming days in a district that includes Durham and Chapel Hill. If the election results end up within a 1% margin, Allam could request a recount.
Successfully ousting an incumbent lawmaker is often extremely difficult and rare. However, there have been recent upsets in races as some voters are calling for new leaders and several sitting members of Congress face primary challengers this cycle.
Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County Commissioner, is running to the left of Foushee, 69, framing her candidacy as part of a broader rejection of longtime Democratic norms.
On the campaign trail, Allam ran on an anti-establishment message, pledging to be a stronger fighter than Foushee in Congress, both in standing up against President Trump’s agenda and when pushing for more ambitious policy.
“North Carolina is a purple state that often gets labeled red, but we’re not a red state,” she told NPR in an interview last month, emphasizing the need to address affordability concerns. “We are a state of working-class folks who just want their elected officials to champion the issues that are impacting them.”
She drew a contrast with the congresswoman on immigration, voicing support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Foushee has declined to go that far, advocating instead for ICE to be defunded and for broader reforms to the federal immigration system.
Allam also clashed with Foushee over U.S. policy towards Israel. As a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, Allam swore off campaign donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups, such as AIPAC, and repeatedly criticized Foushee for previously accepting such funds.
Though Foushee announced last year that she would not accept AIPAC donations this cycle, she and Allam continued to spar over the broader role of outside spending in the race.
Their matchup comes four years after the candidates first squared off in 2022, when Allam lost to Foushee in what became the most expensive primary in the state’s history, with outside groups spending more than $3.8 million.
However, this year is poised to break that record. Outside groups have reported spending more than $4.4 million on the primary matchup, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to this report.
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