Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell offered her condolences after Saturday’s killing of a Ravenscroft teacher.
“This is obviously so tragic for not just the victim and the family and friends, but, I mean, the whole city,” Cowell said. “I mean, the students that … had to understand that their teacher was killed … neighbors [too] and just the random act of violence that I think really is so unsettling, because it could happen to anybody.
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“The perpetrator was clearly mentally ill and … just sort of irrationally violent and not quite understanding … what his motives [were] or what he was thinking.”
Ryan Camacho, 36, is charged with the murder of Ravenscroft teacher Zoe Welsh. Raleigh police said Camacho attacked Welsh inside of her home.
WRAL News asked Cowell what the city can do to try to prevent tragedies like Saturday’s incident from happening.
“Trying to prevent these kind of situations is obviously challenging, but we have spent a lot of time here at the city of Raleigh, established this ACORNS unit, which is all about trying to help identify people with mental health or social services needs and get them the help that they need,” Cowell said.
Online court records show Camacho had a history of criminal charges, convictions and mental health challenges. His criminal history dates back 20 years in Wake and Durham counties.
Camacho's mom, Cynthia Camacho, sought and was granted guardianship over him multiple times, citing "incompetency." WRAL News went to her home on Monday, but she did not want to talk.
WRAL News also asked Cowell what her message is to people who rely on the branches of government to do their job to prevent something like Saturday’s incident.
Given Ryan Camacho's criminal history, a conviction for any one of the four Class H felony charges he faced in 2025 would have resulted in a sentence between eight and 10 months. Had Camacho been convicted of all four charges, he would have faced a prison sentence between three and four years.
A felony conviction could have seen Ryan Camacho behind bars on Jan. 3. Instead, he is suspected of killing Welsh.
“I do want them to know that the city right is investing in our public safety,” Cowell said. “We are investing in mental health services.
“We are doing everything we can to make you know this community safe, and again, in this circumstance, just a very tragic situation for this woman … My hearts go out to the family and everybody in the city who's suffering because of this.”
Cowell added, “We have put a lot of investment, and I think, you know, the community has invested a lot in services for unhoused and the mentally ill. Unfortunately, in this case, this gentleman fell through the cracks."
Cowell said in addition to services the city offers, she plans to have conversations with North Carolina lawmakers to see whether there are potential changes to state law to prevent a tragedy like what happened on Saturday.
A Broughton High School junior told WRAL News that she walks near Fletcher Park on her way to school each day. She said she noticed people living in the park before the holiday break.
“It’s never been this bad,” she said.
On Tuesday, Raleigh police said there is a belief that Camacho may have been sleeping in Fletcher Park before Welsh's death. Police said investigators cannot determine how long he may have been there.
In the past six months, Raleigh police have responded to eight 911 calls at Fletcher Park. Also, officers initiated 44 calls for service at the park during the same time span. Of those self-initiated calls, police said 37 were conducted as security checks.
