From downtown Raleigh to Hedingham neighborhood: Silent reminders of mass shooting a year ago

The City of Raleigh hosted a quiet "remembrance ceremony" outside the Raleigh Municipal Building on Friday afternoon to mark a year since a mass shooting that claimed five lives.

About three dozen people gathered to hear from representatives of city council and chaplains from the Raleigh police and fire departments.

After a moment of silence for the victims, Chaplain Jeff Neal of the Raleigh Fire Department said, "Today we stand together as a city to honor the lives of these individuals who lost their lives on Oct. 13, 2022, as well as those whose lives were forever changed on that day. Today we also pay honor and also send our prayers to the brave men and women that responded to this tragic day, as they risked their lives to save innocent victims of this tragedy."

Jeremy Gilmore, of WakeMed's Spiritual Care Team, said, "I believe that night our community ... learned something about what's inside of us. What's inside of us is empathy, is teamwork, is resilience."

Who are the Raleigh mass shooting victims?

Those who died were an off-duty Raleigh police officer, Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work when he was shot; Nicole Connors, 52; and Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49, who were shot along the greenway.

Marshall's fiancé, Rob Steele, and Connors' husband, Tracey Howard, were among those in attendance Friday afternoon.

Each speaker on Friday afternoon reminded those in attendance of the sense of community that tragedy inspires and to, in the words of Paul Anderson, Raleigh Police Department chaplain, "share some warm words and some hugs and embraces with your neighbors."

Steele, who has said he'll run for city council next year, suggested, "Notice the little things. When your neighbor doesn’t say hi in the morning but he said hi every other day. Find out why. There’s probably something going on. And that’s how we all heal together and how we keep moving forward. "

Raleigh has planned a community day at Nash Square from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday with free resources on health, nutrition, mental health and gun violence prevention.

Families and neighbors of the victims will mark the passing of a year in their own way.

"I just keep coming back to the word tragedy. It's just so sad. It's sad for everyone in our community," said Kathleen Nilsson, president of the Hedingham homeowners' association.

"We're all going to be kind of remembering where we were that day, and what happened, and how scared we all were, and how sad we all were and still are."

She cited efforts by the neighborhood's Care Committee, formed after the shootings, to gather resources, lead prayer groups and plan a neighborhood vigil on Friday night.

"We'll hear a prayer from one of our neighbors and have a moment of silence and then we'll end that event and look forward to something a little more uplifting the next day," she said.

The neighborhood National Night Out celebration and trunk-or-treat on Saturday will provide that balance.

"We kind of purposely wanted to make sure that it wasn't all somber," Nilsson said.

"They just thought that it was very important that we try to focus on something that is not tragedy, that kids can enjoy and that the neighborhood can enjoy. It gives us a chance to look towards the light instead of towards the darkness."

Those who wish to share their condolences with the families of the victims can send messages to:

Raleigh NC 27602-0590

Get Help: County-by-county guide to mental health and crisis resources in NC