Attorneys for Raleigh mass shooting suspect request trial accommodations due to seizures

Lawyers for the teen accused of killing five people during the October 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood have requested special accommodations for his upcoming criminal trial.

Attorneys for Austin Thompson asked the court to hold a hearing “to determine procedures [of] conducting [a] trial that minimize risk of another seizure and that ensure his safety if he has a seizure during the trial.”

In the filing, Thompson's attorneys said he experienced a seizure on Saturday. The document states Austin Thompson’s last seizure was about two years ago.

Thompson’s criminal trial is expected to start in February.

Thompson will not face the death penalty because federal law prohibits the death penalty for people younger than 18 years old at the time of their crimes. He was 15 at the time of the shooting.

The Oct. 13, 2022, shooting spree began inside the Thompson family home in the Hedingham community and ended on the nearby Neuse River Greenway. In addition to the murder charge for the death of 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.

Law enforcement arrested then-15-year-old Austin Thompson in a shed close to 6 miles away from his own home. The teenager was found with a gunshot wound to his head.

“After Austin’s head injury, he suffered from seizures,” a court documents states.  “He has been on medication to reduce the likelihood of those seizures for quite some time.”

Thompson’s attorneys, Deonte’ Thomas and Kellie Mannette, submitted the document on Tuesday.

“Given that the results of recent testing [were] very positive, there is concern that the stress of the upcoming trial contributed to this event,” the document states. “Additionally, detention staff informed the team that there is an increased risk of recurrence in the month following a seizure.”

The document states Austin Thompson receives his medication through his nose and that it takes training to administer it.

“Minimally, Austin will need to have someone close by who is trained to administer this medication and in possession of this medication while in the courthouse,” the court document reads.