An accused teenage gunmans racist and violent past has been revealed, two years after he massacred five people.
Austin Thompson allegedly shot five people to death and injured two others in the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina on October 13, 2022 when he was just 15 years old.
The families of his victims have since filed a 162-page lawsuit against him, his parents, the neighborhood homeowners association and its private police force - claiming they all knew Thompson had antisocial, racist, aggressive and violent comments and behaviors before he went on his killing spree, CBS 17 reports.
The lawsuit details multiple complaints neighbors have made to the homeowners association about Thompson, in which they reported him as aggressive, creepy and off.
In fact, all of the victims filed complaints against Thompson in the days before the shooting, the suit claims, according to WRAL.
Neighbors allege in a new lawsuit that accused gunman Austin Thompson (pictured right with his brother James) had antisocial, racist, aggressive and violent comments and behaviors before he went on his killing spree on October 13, 2022
Neighbors allege Thompson frequently had arguments with others, and used racial slurs at least twice.
He is said to have encountered one of his victims, Nicole Connors, a 52-year-old black woman, just days before the shooting, leading her to make a complaint about his behavior.
She was then shot 34 times, more than any other victim.
The suit also claims the teenager was seen just days before the shooting carrying a backpack full of supplies and walking the same path he would on his rampage, in what one neighbor reported as suspicious.
It also claims Thompson and his father, Alan, would brag about the number of weapons they owned and would share their desires to buy more.
Yet, the plaintiffs argue, the private police force that was hired to monitor the community took no actions after receiving calls about gunfire in the neighborhood on the day of the shooting.
The Capitol Special Police are also accused of making no efforts to stop the spree, locate Thompson and inform Raleigh police about the incident in a timely manner.
The complaint details how Thompson, a known threat to the community was allowed to roam freely with his weapons, leading to the deaths of five individuals and serious injury to others, the Howard Stallings Law Firm told WRAL.
The lawsuit says Thompson made racist remarks, and notes that he shot black woman Nicole Connors 34 times - more than any other victim.
Thompson also allegedly shot down Connors dog Sami (pictured) and left Connors best friend, 60-year-old special education teacher Marcille Lynn Gardner, grievously wounded in the front yard
But an attorney representing Thompsons parents, Alan and Elise, has claimed they had no idea their son had violent tendencies.
Austin had no history of mental illness, there was no prior diagnosis at all, Russell Babb said.
There were no bullying incidents neither at school or inside his own home by his brother James.
The owner of the Capitol Special Police, Roy G. Taylor, also said his employee arrived at the neighborhood a few minutes before her 5pm shift that day and was immediately flagged down by a person telling her somebody had been shot.
The victim was off-duty Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres, whom his employee started tending to as Raleigh officers arrived at the scene and took over.
However, the lawsuit claims, the private police officer ... could not provide the street name where the shooting was taking place, could not offer any description of the shooter and could not even give a street address for the actual police to respond.
It also says She failed to investigate shots fired from the home of the shooter, which callers had heard, a failure that allowed a home shooting to develop into a mass shooting.
Other victims include Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was heading out to start his shift
Thompson is also accused of shooting dead Susan Karantz, 49, who regularly ran on the Neuse River Trail and Mary Marshall, 35, a Navy vet who was buried on October 28, 2022 – the day before she was due to marry her fiancé, the love of her life, Robert Steele
The gunman first started shooting on Sahalee Way, then made his way down to the Neuse River Greenway where he shot some of the victims. He fled to a barn, and was taken into custody from there
Authorities say Thompson first killed his brother, James, 16, inside their house on Sahalee Way at around 5.30pm that night.
He then shot dead Connors and her dog Sami, and left Connors best friend, 60-year-old special education teacher Marcille Lynn Gardner, grievously wounded in the front yard.
From there, Thompson made his way to Osprey Cove Drive, where he gunned down Officer Torres, 29, who was heading out to start his shift.
Ducking out of the residential subdivision, Thompson headed to the Neuse River Trail and Greenway where he shot his final two victims – Susan Karantz, 49, who regularly ran that trail and Mary Marshall, 35, a Navy vet who was buried on October 28, 2022 – the day before she was due to marry her fiancé, the love of her life, Robert Steele.
Officers are seen blocking off some side streets in Raleigh as Thompson allegedly continued his killing spree
Callers who dialed 911 during the shooting rampage described encountering bodies on the streets or front yards in their neighborhood and along a trail popular with runners and bikers
Callers who dialed 911 during the shooting rampage described encountering bodies on the streets or front yards in their neighborhood and along a trail popular with runners and bikers, according to recordings released by authorities.
Eye witnesses at the time also said they saw Thompson, who was recently released from hospitalization, dressed in camouflage clothing with a backpack and black boots, crouching down, and said he was aged between 13 and 16 and looked extremely young.
He looked like a baby. I just dont even have the words to explain. This is not OK.
Thompson is now set to face charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious injury at a trial in September 2025, when he will be tried as an adult.
His father, meanwhile, recently pleaded guilty to keeping a loaded gun on his nightstand that was used in the shooting.
He was then sentenced to one-year of unsupervised probation.