Raleigh shooting: five dead, including police officer, in North Carolina

Authorities say a young gunman was arrested hours after shooting in state capital

An ambulance believed to be carrying an alleged shooter arrives at the Wake Medical Centre Emergeny Room in Raleigh, North Carolina. AP

Raleigh Police Lt JA Borneo takes questions during a press briefing after several people were shot, and at least five were killed, on the Neuse River Greenway in Raleigh, North Carolina. AP

Law enforcement officers congregate outside a supermarket in Raleigh after five people were shot and killed. AP

An hours-long manhunt for the gunman forced residents across several districts to take shelter in their homes. AP

Police officers check on residents in Hedingham district and the Neuse River Trail area in Raleigh, after the shooting. AP

A helicopter hovers over the I-540 motorway in Raleigh. AP

Law enforcement stand at the entrance to Neuse River Greenway Trail parking area after the shooting. AP

In this aerial image taken with a drone, police officers work at the scene of a shooting in a Raleigh district. AP

Five people, including an off-duty police officer, have been shot dead in the US state of North Carolina.

A young man was arrested after a manhunt was launched following the incident in the state capital, Raleigh, on Thursday.

At least two other people, including a second police officer, were wounded and taken to hospital, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin told a news conference.

“We must do more. We must stop this mindless violence in America. We must address gun violence,” Ms Baldwin said.

The shooting occurred shortly after 5pm local time near the Neuse River Greenway trail, which runs through part of the city, Reuters reported.

The manhunt turned districts into crime scenes flooded with first responders as residents were told to take shelter.

About three hours later, police had the alleged gunman “contained in a residence”, Ms Baldwin said. He was arrested shortly afterwards.

The alleged shooter is thought to be a white male teenager who had a rifle, WTVD television reported.

Helicopter video footage from WRAL television showed more than 10 emergency vehicles lined up on a road in a wooded area, one of several crime scenes.

State and local law-enforcement agencies are involved in the “active investigation”, Ms Baldwin said.

Raleigh Police Lt Jason Borneo said the motive for the shooting would become clearer in the coming days.

Police officers at the scene of the shooting in a car park in Raleigh. EPA

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper 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.”

More than 34,000 people have died in shootings in the US in 2022 — with suicides accounting for more than half the number — according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

The North Carolina shooting occurred after a jury earlier in the day rejected the death penalty and backed life imprisonment for Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed 17 people at a Florida high school in 2018.

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