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Body cam footage reveals shootout between police, suspect in Raleigh mass shooting that killed 5

The first body camera video from the Oct. 13 massacre in Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood was released Thursday, seven weeks after a shooter opened fire, killing five people and wounding two others.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — The first body camera video from the Oct. 13 massacre in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood was released Thursday, seven weeks after a shooter opened fire, killing five people and wounding two others.

Thursday marks the first time Raleigh police have released video from the shooting and subsequent response. The volume and quantity of firepower is apparent during the intense footage. Four videos were edited and produced by the department, one of which is a compilation video composed of all three vantage points from officers.

Warning: This video contains gunfire and profanity and may be disturbing to some.

The clip contains multiple angles of a roughly 5-minute period about 90 minutes after five people were killed.

The summary video begins with footage of officers on a K-9 track trying to find the suspect described as a white male wearing camouflage. Officers were huddled in a fenced-in plot of land in a wooded area with several sheds.

"We're on a track," one person could be heard saying.

Around three minutes into the compilation video, shots are fired. Raleigh officers fired more than 20 shots in total. Two officers and four Wake County deputies fired shots in the clip.

During the search, someone fires several rounds at officers from a building. One Raleigh officer, Casey Clark, appears to go down at the first shot. Clark was shot in the knee and gunfire is exchanged between officers and the suspect, Austin Thompson. Several officers and deputies then took cover behind trees and began to assess where the suspect was hiding.

Another clip contains Clark's body cam, capturing the moments he falls to the ground from the initial shot.

That clip shows other team members quickly gather by Clark, drag him behind another shed and help apply a tourniquet to his knee. "I am nauseous but I'm good," said Clark, who's injuries were not life-threatening.

Outside of these videos from Raleigh police, WRAL also obtained a separate photograph that some will find disturbing. The picture shows the suspected shooter, Austin Thompson, between the time he shot at police and when he was taken into custody.

Raleigh police said, “following the exchange of gunfire, officers established a perimeter to keep the suspect contained in the outbuilding for the safety of the nearby community due to concerns about the nature of weapons he possessed to include multiple firearms, as well as possible hand grenades as reported in a 911 call.”

Helicopters could be heard flying in the distance during the ordeal.

The seven victims ranged in age from 16 to 60. Those who lost their lives included an off-duty Raleigh police officer, Gabriel Torres, 29; James Thompson, 16, the suspected gunman’s older brother; Mary Marshall, 34; Nicole Connors, 52; and Susan Karnatz, 49.

Rob Steele, Mary Marshall’s fiancé, and Tracey Howard, Connors' husband, were informed by police that the video was being released on Thursday.

The medical condition of Austin Thompson, 15, the suspected gunman, continues to improve, sources tell WRAL News. The suspect was taken into police custody 4 hours and 27 minutes after the first 911 call was received, and sources told WRAL News he suffered multiple injuries, including a serious wound to the head, during a standoff with police.

Police have yet to say where Austin Thompson got the guns he allegedly used in the mass shooting.

Four Wake County deputies who fired their weapons have been cleared to return to work. At last check, two Raleigh officers were still on administrative leave, per standard protocol.

Timeline of mass shooting

The first 911 call on Oct. 13 was received at 5:09 p.m. Raleigh police officers responded to the east Raleigh neighborhood and golf community off New Bern Avenue in about 10 minutes.

More than an hour later, the suspect was spotted running into woods near Tarheel Club Road. At 6:42 p.m., officers located suspect near a barn on McConnell Oliver Drive.

According to Raleigh police's report released five days after the shooting, “as officers were attempting to search the area, the suspect fired multiple shots at the officers from one of the buildings.”

Police reported using drones and robots to get a visual of the suspect inside a barn.

At 7:28 p.m., police said the suspect was “holding the shotgun up,” but it’s unclear where the gun was pointed.

Two Raleigh police officers and four Wake County sheriff’s deputies exchanged fire with the suspect. All six remain on administrative leave per department protocol.