Chief Patterson:
It is with overwhelming sadness that I address you today. My heart is heavy because we don’t have answers why this tragedy occurred, but I can tell you that Raleigh Police Department and the Raleigh community is resilient and strong, and we will heal.
As you know, five individuals lost their lives, including an off-duty Raleigh Police Department officer. Two others were injured, including a Raleigh police officer who has been treated and released from the hospital. The other injured victim is 59-year-old Marcille Lynn Gardner (B/F) who is still in critical condition.
A 15-year-old white male suspect was taken into custody and is in critical condition.
We mourn and share the loss of not only our officer but all the victims of this senseless gun crime. Gun violence prevention has been a priority for me.
The deceased have been identified as:
- Nicole Conners (B/F), 52 years old
- Susan Karnatz (W/F), 49
- Mary Marshall (W/F), 35
- RPD officer Gabriel Torres (H/M), 29 and
- 16 year-old white male
To the Raleigh community, we are grateful for the immediate 911 calls and continuous updates and patience.
We also want to salute the valiant efforts of a broad coalition of public safety partners who assisted in our investigation yesterday.
I’m extremely proud of the brave and selfless acts of our Raleigh Police Department officers, joined by Knightdale Police, Wake County Sherriff’s Office, State Capitol Police, the State Highway Patrol, the State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, ATF, ALE, US Marshalls, State Wildlife Resources and so many more who were instrumental in the successful apprehension of the suspect.
We want to thank our local partners—Raleigh Fire Department, Emergency Communications Center, the Wake County EMS, and Raleigh Parks.
In addition, we proactively evacuated two community centers, Marsh Creek and Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center as well as locked down 16 staff and students at Beaver Creek Elementary