An 18-year-old has admitted guilt to murder and other charges in connection with a mass shooting in North Carolina that claimed the lives of five people, including his older brother and a police officer. The tragic event unfolded in 2022, and Austin David Thompson, who was only 15 at the time, accepted responsibility in court on Wednesday.

Originally scheduled to face trial in less than two weeks, Thompson made the unexpected decision to plead guilty to all charges. For months, his legal team had been filing motions in an attempt to restrict certain evidence and testimonies. On Tuesday, they stated that this plea would spare the community and victims from further trauma.

In the courtroom, Thompson, dressed in a quarter-zip sweater and slacks, spoke minimally as Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway conducted the proceedings. He admitted to five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assaulting an officer with a firearm.

Judge Ridgeway has scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 2, which is expected to extend over several days as testimonies and evidence are meticulously examined. It was confirmed in court by Thompson and his attorney that no plea deal had been negotiated with the local prosecutors.

Ridgeway set a sentencing hearing for Feb. 2, which could last several days as testimony and evidence are reviewed. Thompson and his attorney acknowledged in court that no plea agreement had been reached with local prosecutors.

Because of his age at the time of the attack, Thompson can’t receive the death penalty. A judge can issue sentences of life in prison without parole on such murder counts. Ridgeway instead could sentence him in the case so he could be eligible for parole after at least 25 years. State appeals judges recently placed a 40-year limit on how long such young offenders must serve before becoming eligible for parole.

Resolution in the case was delayed in part while Thompson recovered from a gunshot wound that Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman concluded earlier was self-inflicted before his arrest. His attorneys say it resulted in a serious brain injury.

Providing the court a summary of evidence that would have been used at trial, Assistant District Attorney Patrick Latour described the sequence of events during the Oct. 13, 2022, shootings. He said Thompson first shot then repeatedly stabbed his brother James, whose body was found in the family’s home in the Hedingham community.

Latour said an armed Thompson next shot multiple neighbors on the community’s streets, killing Nicole Connors, 52, and then off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29. Another neighbor who was wounded survived. Later, Thompson fatally shot two others on a nearby greenway trail: Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49.

Dressed in camouflage with multiple weapons, Thompson was located by law enforcement in a shed nearby and arrested after an hourslong standoff during which he wounded another police officer, Latour said.

Wednesday’s hearing provided little additional explanation about Austin’s motive. His attorneys wrote this week that the brain injury “has made it such that Austin cannot explain why he committed this shooting.”

Latour said a note written by Thompson acknowledged why he killed his brother but didn’t explain further. The note was ordered to remain confidential for now. Latour also said records showing Thompson’s online search history revealed that he had sought information on mass shootings and related items.

Robert Steele, Marshall’s fiance at the time of her death, told reporters after the hearing that sentencing Thompson to life in prison without parole is the right thing to do.

“That’s justice,” Steele said. “He took five people’s lives, he tried to take two others.”

In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly storing a handgun that authorities said was found with his son after the shootings. He received a suspended sentence and probation.

Investigators seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition — some of them empty — from the Thompson home, according to search warrants.