In Raleigh, North Carolina, Alan Thompson, the father of a teenager charged in a 2022 mass shooting that resulted in the deaths of five individuals, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to improperly storing a handgun that was found with his son following the tragic incident. Alan Thompson, 61, expressed emotion as he entered a plea for the misdemeanor charge in Wake County court. District Court Judge Mark Stevens delivered a 45-day suspended jail sentence and a year of unsupervised probation, labeling the situation as “a case of epic tragedy.”
The attorney representing Thompson stated in court that there were no indicators that his son, Austin Thompson, who is facing five counts of murder along with other charges, would engage in violence. The shootings occurred when Austin was 15, and one of the victims was his elder brother. Austin Thompson is set to stand trial in September 2025 and could face a life sentence if found guilty.
Alan Thompson’s lawyer, Russell Babb, conveyed the immense grief and confusion experienced by his client, who has lost both of his sons without understanding the reasons behind the tragic events. The shooting spree, which unfolded on October 13, 2022, seemingly started with Austin fatally shooting and stabbing his 16-year-old brother, James, in their neighborhood. He proceeded to injure several neighbors, including an off-duty Raleigh police officer.
Clad in camouflage attire with multiple firearms on his person, Austin was eventually apprehended by law enforcement in a shed near a public greenway following a lengthy standoff. Investigators disclosed that a handgun and shotgun were utilized in the shootings. Wake County Assistant District Attorney Luke Bumm noted on Wednesday that a handgun found in the shed belonged to Alan Thompson, who stored the loaded 9mm firearm in an unlocked box on a bedside table.
Babb mentioned that Austin Thompson did not exhibit any violent tendencies when speaking with his father on the phone before and after the tragic events. Alan Thompson had phoned his son while returning from work, offering to purchase milk, and then alerted him to “hunker down” upon noticing the police activity in the neighborhood. The realization that Austin was the shooter shocked Alan, as he had initially assumed his son was chasing the assailant.
Aside from the Thompson family members, the victims of the shootings included Officer Gabriel Torres, Mary Elizabeth Marshall, Nicole Connors, and Susan Karnatz. Two others sustained injuries during the incident. Austin Thompson faces additional charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer. Investigators uncovered 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition, including some empty ones, at the Thompson residence. Prosecutors have confirmed that Austin had self-inflicted gunshot wounds when he was detained.
