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Who are the Hedingham victims? Funerals, GoFundMe pages for Raleigh mass shooting victims

A memorial at the entrance of the Hedingham neighborhood has grown each day since the Oct. 13 shooting, with flowers, tributes, cards, candles and messages to the five lives lost and the two people who were injured.

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WRAL Staff
RALEIGH, N.C. — Memorial services are planned for planned for multiple people killed in the Oct. 13 shooting in Hedingham, including the 16-year-old brother of the suspected shooter.

Sources tell WRAL News Austin Thompson, 15, opened fire in the streets of the east Raleigh neighborhood and on an adjacent greenway Thursday when five people were shot to death, including his older brother.

The seven victims ranged in age from 16 to 60. Those who lost their lives were: an off-duty Raleigh police officer, Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work when he was shot; James Roger Thompson, 16, a junior at Knightdale High School; Mary Marshall, 34; Nicole Connors, 52, and Susan Karnatz, 49.

Five killed in the Oct. 13, 2022, Hedingham shooting include: an off-duty Raleigh police officer, Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work when he was shot; James Roger Thompson, 16, a junior at Knightdale High School; Mary Marshall, 34; Nicole Connors, 52, and Susan Karnatz, 49.

Raleigh police officer Casey Clark, 33, was treated and released from the hospital. Marcille "Lynn" Gardner, a special education teacher who just turned 60, remains at WakeMed in stable condition with numerous surgeries ahead.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin announced a "Raleigh Healing Together" vigil, which is planned for Sunday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. at the plaza in front of the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at 2 East South St.

How to support for Raleigh victims and families

GoFundMe pages for the victims have earned more than $180,000 collectively in donations.

Officer Gabriel Torres

Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, was on his way to work when he was shot and killed Oct. 13. Back the Blue NC started a GoFundMe page in honor of the Raleigh officer, which raised more than $106,000 on Wednesday, almost a week after the shooting.
Gabriel Torres was a recent graduate of the police academy.

Torres leaves behind a wife and a daughter. Raleigh Mayor Mary Ann Baldwin told WRAL News she talked with the widow of Gabriel Torres. “I think that is the hardest thing I have ever had to do," said Baldwin. "She was heartbroken and in tears.”

Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, was on his way to work when he was shot and killed Oct. 13. Back the Blue NC started a GoFundMe page in honor of the Raleigh officer, which raised more than $66,000 on Sunday.

The Raleigh Police Department established a memorial for the fallen officer at 218 West Cabarrus St. People who wish to support his family can email supportRPD@raleighnc.gov.

A visitation service for Torres will be held Friday, Oct. 21, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Mitchell Funeral Home in Raleigh. His funeral will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m. at Cross Assembly Church.

Susan Karnatz

Runners across the country have been using the hashtag #RunforSue to support Susan Karnatz, a Raleigh mother of three and avid runner who was killed in the mass shooting.

Karnatz was a devoted member of the NC Roadrunners Club. Friends said on Thursday night she was on a seven-mile run at the Neuse River Greenway. Just over five miles in, she was shot and killed.

As they mourned Karnatz's loss, friends knew they wanted to do something. They decided to #RunForSue. Some of them logged 5.1 miles, the distance she'd reached before her death. Others posted 1.9 miles, finishing the journey she started.

Susan Karnatz was an avid runner. Her husband, Tom, said she was a loving wife and mother to three boys ages 10, 13 and 14. "We will miss her greatly," he said. 

The club says they're also planning to honor Karnatz at the American Tobacco Trail 10 mile in Durham on Saturday.

A celebration of life for Susan Karnatz is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at North Raleigh Presbyterian Church in Raleigh. Karnatz was 49.

Mary Marshall

A friend shared this photo of Mary Marshall, left, who was killed while walking her dogs on Neuse River greenway.
Family members of Mary Marshall started a GoFundMe page to help pay for her memorial and funeral. Marshall died just weeks before her wedding, scheduled for Oct. 29. Her fiance, Rob Steele, wrote, "This woman was my everything … she meant so much to me and her parents and sister."

On Sunday, the page had raised more than $23,000.

A memorial service for Marshall will be held on Oct. 29, the scheduled date for her wedding. Her family is meeting with lawmakers Tuesday about improvements to mental health training.

Nicole Connors

Nicole Connors, 52, and her husband, Tracey Howard, in a photo shared with NBC News.
Tracey Howard is the husband of the late Nicole Connors, who was among the five people killed. The couple was married five years.

“She was fun-loving,” Howard said. “A firecracker at sometimes. She would tell you what’s on her mind.”

Howard recalled what happened on Oct. 13 when he got back to the house after running errands. “I got the porch [and saw] Nicole,” Howard recalled. “[I] could see it in her eyes [that] she was not with us anymore."

Howard said Connors was shot in the face, neck and stomach. Connors worked as an HR specialist and loved dogs. She died alongside her Jack Russell mix, Sammy

Howard is working to raise money to bury Connors in Dayton, Ohio.

A visitation and funeral service will be held for Connors on Oct. 27 at noon in Dayton, Ohio. The service will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Lynn Gardner

Marcille "Lynn" Gardner
A friend set up a GoFundMe for Lynn Gardner, who was injured while visiting a neighbor during the Hedingham shooting. The GoFundMe page has raised $35,000 to help with medical bills.

Friends posted Saturday that Gardner was in surgery and has a "long road to recovery ahead of her," including multiple surgeries.

"To know Lynn is to love her," the post read. "She is a special and unique person in her positivity and generosity. Let's return that generosity and help take care of Lynn as she fights to overcome this tragedy."

James Roger Thompson

James Thompson, Austin Thompson's brother, was a junior at Knightdale High School.

In his online obituary, family members wrote, "James had many interests and particularly enjoyed deep sea fishing, playing Upward Basketball and various games on his PS4. He enjoyed visits to his grandmother’s house, amusement parks, sporting events and trips to the beach and mountains."

A celebration of life will be held for James on Thursday, Oct. 20, at Trinity Baptist Church at 4815 Six Forks Road in Raleigh.

A celebration of life is planned for James Thompson at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Trinity Baptist Church at 4815 Six Forks Road. His family said James enjoyed deep sea fishing and video games.

Other ways the community can help

The Blood Connection is asking community members to donate blood in the wake of last week’s mass shooting. People can find a convenient location to donate blood near them HERE.

Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome.

Memorial grows at entrance to Hedingham

What began as a small memorial outside of the Hedingham neighborhood in east Raleigh continues to grow with tributes arriving from all over the country.

There are five 10-foot crosses representing each victim, posters with messages, a large mural, photos and hundreds of bouquets and candles

Words from caring neighbors written on posters offer encouragement to the living to "Stay Strong" and keep those who passed away "Forever in our hearts."

A book to be shared sits on the ledge of the Hedingham gateway titled: "If Anything Happens, I Love You." These sentiments also reflect how many tearful hugs have been shared.

Muralist Roberto Marquez, a native of Dallas, Texas, had been helping with flood relief in Florida, but when he heard about the deadly shooting in Hedingham, he packed his materials in his truck and came to Raleigh to paint a piece of hope for the community.

"I wanted to kind of take the opportunity to come and see if I could be part of the healing process," said Marquez. "I always like to share my paint brushes and they come in, they have their own ideas and this will not be just my piece, but it will be the community's."

The mural transformed as he learned more and more about the victims. There are five coffins on his mural, each symbolizing one of the victims.

He chose bright colors to represent light. He also made the crosses that sit at the memorial.

He hopes the colors, symbols and shapes can offer hope light and healing.

“This made me really sad and I felt like spending a couple of days here," said Marquez. "It was worth it, the community has been real receptive and glad that I came."

Marquez said they will display the mural somewhere in the neighborhood where people can come see it within the next few days.

Others also used their creative talents to make this memorial memorable. Many of the luminaries at the main entrances were placed by resident Deana Thomas.

"I think like me, most people are just searching for; what can I do to help?" said Thomas.

Thomas' screened-in porch is on the Neuse River walking trail and she knew Mary Marshall who was killed while walking her dog on the trail near her Hedingham home.

Thomas also passed out ribbons for mailboxes.

"Black ribbons for the mourning of those who died and a blue ribbon along with it for the police officer that was fallen," said Thomas. "People are really just wanting to do anything they can because they're hurting."

Get help

In the wake of tragic and traumatic events, feelings like stress, anxiety, grief and depression are natural. Here is a list of crisis counseling and county-by-county resources in North Carolina, as well as nationally. These resources are available for you -- just call.

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