Police have arrested a white male juvenile as a suspect following a shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, that resulted in the deaths of five people, according to reports.
The shooter opened fire along a walking trail in the capital city on Thursday and evaded police for hours before he was cornered in a home and arrested.
The suspect was arrested around 9:37 p.m. but police have not released his identity and age yet. Authorities have said that the suspect is a white male juvenile and have not identified further.
One of the victims of the shooting included an off-duty police officer. Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin held a press conference following the incident and gave preliminary details.
She said gunfire broke out around 5 p.m., along the Neuse River Greenway in a residential area northeast of downtown.
“Today has been a very difficult day in our city, you pray that something like this will never happen here, it did,” she said in the press conference.
“We have to end this mindless gun violence that is happening in our country.
“We need to support those in our community who have suffered a terrible loss. A loss of a loved one. We need to support the family of the police officer who was killed and also the police officer who was shot
“We have work to do but there are too many victims, we have to wake up. I want to say though, that I know the strength of our community and I know we will come together. We will work for change.”
On Thursday, the Raleigh Police Department Twitter page provided updates on the situation and at the time of the shooting, advised the public to avoid the area. It also gave an update on when the suspect had been taken into custody. Raleigh Police Department Lieutenant Jason Borneo also spoke during the press conference.
“At approximately at 9:37 tonight, the suspect in this incident was taken into custody. A white male juvenile was arrested by the Raleigh police department,” he said.
“In addition, a responding police officer who was injured and hospitalized, has been released. One victim remains in critical condition.
“We want to remind everybody this is still an active investigation. Our officers and investigators are currently on the scene collecting evidence and speaking with witnesses.”
The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, also addressed the shooting, according to an Independent report. He said: “Tonight terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh. This is a senseless horrific and infuriating act of violence that has been committed.”
Newsweek has contacted the Raleigh Police Department for comment.
