A North Carolina teenager who killed five people, including his older brother and a police officer, in a 2022 mass shooting in the state's capital pleaded guilty on Jan. 21 to murder and other charges.
Austin David Thompson, now 18, pleaded guilty 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 assault of an officer with a gun, court records show. The guilty plea came a day after Thompson's attorneys filed a written notice of intent in Wake County court.
"After lengthy discussions with his attorneys about how a trial would proceed, he has decided he wishes to save the community and the victims from as much additional infliction of trauma as possible," attorneys Kellie Mannette and Deonte' Thomas wrote in the notice.
In October 2022, Thompson went on a shooting spree in a residential neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina, before opening fire again along a walking trail, authorities said. Five people were killed, and two others were injured in the attack.
Thompson had been scheduled to go to trial for the murders in February. A judge set a sentencing hearing, which is expected to take several days, on Feb. 2, according to court records.
