A judge on Friday denied dismissing a lawsuit against the security company and the homeowners association of the Hedingham neighborhood in Raleigh in response to an October 2022 mass shooting in the neighborhood.
In October 2024, residents in the neighborhood filed a lawsuit against the Hedingham Community Association, the Capitol Special Police and the parents of Austin Thompson for the mass shooting.
Other WRAL Top Stories
The October 2022 shooting spree began inside the Thompson family home in the Hedingham community and ended on the nearby Neuse River Greenway. In addition to his brother, 16-year-old James Thompson, Austin Thompson is charged with the murders of an off-duty Raleigh police officer, Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work when he was shot; Mary Marshall, 34; Nicole Connors, 52, and Susan Karnatz, 49. Another Raleigh police officer, Casey Clark, 33, and Marcille "Lynn" Gardner, a special education teacher, were injured.
The lawsuit claimed the security contractor, HOA and Austin Thompson’s parents should have known about the threat and prevented it.
On March 3, the HOA and security contractors argued the lawsuit should be thrown out, arguing that the patrols were hired to do roving patrols, not respond to an attack like the one Austin Thompson was accused of.
An attorney for the families argued that is precisely what the families expected from the company.
As for the Hedingham Homeowners Association, a lawyer representing them said the lawsuit should be dismissed because it should not be held responsible for crimes committed on public streets, arguing, “It’s not the City of Raleigh Police Department, it is a homeowners association.”
Attorneys for the families in court argued that the HOA had responded to multiple complaints – about crime in the neighborhood in general and the perceived threat posed by Thompson – by taking responsibility.
Thompson's trial on multiple murder charges is set to begin in February 2026.