16-year-old boy killed in Raleigh mass shooting remembered as smart, faithful
The first memorial service for one of the five victims killed in Raleigh's Oct. 13 mass shooting was held on Thursday night.
A celebration of life for James Thompson took place at Trinity Baptist Church on Six Forks Road.
Cameras weren't allowed inside the church, but the scene was emotional. This family is having to mourn one son, as another lies in the hospital, accused of pulling the trigger.
Trinity's pastor, also James' basketball coach, remembered James as a smart young man who was very involved in the church.
James was 16 years old. He would have turned 17 in January. James is the brother of Austin Thompson, the 15-year-old boy who is the suspected gunman during last week’s mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood.
According to his obituary, James was a junior at Knightdale High School. His family said James enjoyed deep-sea fishing and video games. He also had played Upward Basketball. James liked visits with his grandmother, amusement parks, sporting events and trips to the beach and mountains.
During the service, the pastor at Trinity read the names of the five mass shooting victims but said the service was about focusing on one.
James was remembered as a talented and dedicated member of Upward Basketball, Trinity's own team.
He was a young man, just recently looking at colleges, and on the cusp of so much more.
The coffin was draped in James' maroon basketball jersey.
The family asked that memorial donations go to the Upward Basketball program.
The boys’ parents, Elise and Alan Thompson, released a statement on Tuesday about the shooting. The couple said Austin displayed no warning signs of what he was capable of.
“We have so many unanswered questions,” the couple wrote in part. “There were never any indications or warning signs that Austin was capable of doing anything like this.
“Our family will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials and do whatever we can to help them understand why and how this happened.”
WRAL has been in touch with the family all week.
They declined comment, but had previously written that "words cannot begin to describe our anguish and sorrow."
