RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Alan Thompson, the father of accused Raleigh mass shooter Austin Thompson, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of failing to store a firearm in a manner to protect a minor.
Alan, 61, made an emotional appearance in a Wake County courtroom Wednesday morning for his disposition hearing where he was seen crying as a prosecutor read aloud the victims’ names.
Warrants reveal new details in 2022 Raleigh mass shooting
Investigators say on October 13, 2022, Alan’s then 15-year-old son Austin used his improperly stored weapon to go on a rampage, killing five people and injuring two others in and around the Hedingham neighborhood.
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Sky Eye 17 image of the Hedingham neighborhood. Photo by David Hattman/CBS 17 -
People living in the Hedingham and surrounding neighborhoods are concerned that there was no alert system activated during Thursday’s mass shooting. A current memorial is set up there, and growing (Hayley Fixler/CBS 17). -
A woman stands before a photo of Raleigh shooting victim Susan Karnatz at a makeshift memorial at the Hedingham neighborhood. (Ethan Hyman/The News& Observer via AP) -
Picture of Sue Karnatz, who died during the mass shooting in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood on Oct. 14, 2022. -
Mary Marshall (left) was one of the five victims killed in Thursday’s mass shooting in the northeast Raleigh Hedingham neighborhood. Photo from family. -
Despite spending months in the hospital, hours in surgery and days since then healing, Lynn Gardner says she’s found ways to move on. -
Officers at the scene mentioned a home had around 80 bullet holes. -
Officers at the scene mentioned a home had around 80 bullet holes. -
Law enforcement officers congregate outside an armored vehicle at the Aldi on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh after five people were shot and killed in the Hedingham Neighborhood and Nuese River Trail area in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP) -
Raleigh Police officers walk door to door checking on residents in the Hedingham neighborhood and Neuse River Trail area in Raleigh, N.C. Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. A shooter opened fire along a walking trail in North Carolina’s capital city on Thursday, killing five people before leading police on an hours long manhunt that forced residents across multiple neighborhoods to take shelter in their homes. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP)
The judge, who accepted Alan’s guilty plea, called this an “epic tragedy…for the victims, for our community and for the Thompson family.”
As part of the plea agreement, Alan will undergo one year of unsupervised probation. He also faces a suspended sentence of 45 days in jail. That time will not be served unless he violates his probation terms…