Alan Thompson – the father of the teenager accused in the Oct. 13, 2022, Hedingham mass shooting in Raleigh and the father of one of the victims killed that day – pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor storing a firearm in a manner accessible to a minor.
Alan Thompson was in tears Wednesday as he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge shortly after 9:30 a.m. He was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation. If probation is violated, Alan Thompson would spend 45 days in jail.
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In court on Wednesday, Luke Bumm, the case's prosecutor, said a handgun found in the shed where Austin Thompson was arrested belonged to Alan Thompson. According to Bumm, Alan Thompson told police he kept the 9mm handgun in a box near his nightstand. The box, which was not locked, contained a full magazine.
His son, Austin Thompson, is facing five counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill and one count of assault with firearm on law enforcement officer. Five people were killed that day, including Austin's brother.
Father of accused Hedingham shooter 'devastated'
Alan Thompson, who is 61, has no criminal record.
Attorney Russell Babb, who is representing Alan Thompson and his wife, Elise Thompson, said in court Wednesday there were no warning signs that the couple's son would commit such a crime.
"He nor Elise saw any warning signs whatsoever that Austin would act this way, and he had no mental health issues, no bullying, nothing wrong in the home," Babb said. "Austin got along so well with his peers, he was not abused by Alan or Elise. He never wrote any threats; he never made odd drawings or acted oddly."
Babb went on to express the devastation Alan Thompson has felt since the tragic event.
"Alan has a strong work history, he is self-employed as a handyman ... he is absolutely devastated by events of October 22," Babb said. "He has lost loved ones. His son James was the first victim, [and] Austin will spend his life locked away."
Austin Thompson was 15 when investigators say he killed five people, including his brother, in the east Raleigh neighborhood. He will not face the death penalty, but he will be tried as an adult and faces life in prison if convicted. His trial is set for September 2025.
"This is a case of epic tragedy for victims of this case, our community and for the Thompson family," Judge Mark Stevens said in court.
The prosecuting attorney said this case is not the same as others, in which parents saw the signs and red flags.
"That is not the case in this case," Bumm said. "There was no indication that was apparent to Austin's parents, to anyone at school or anyone else."
The Thompson's attorney also agreed that there were no warning signs.
"Alan never in a million years thought his own family member would behave this way. He is heartbroken," Babb said. "Alan went over and beyond in cooperation; he had a mission to do whatever he could to honor [his son] James.
"As a parent, Alan is living the unthinkable, he has lost both his sons and still doesn't know why this happened."
Hedingham shooting timeline
In court on Wednesday, new details were revealed about where Alan Thompson was on Oct. 13, 2022.
Alan Thompson called his sons on his way home from work that day, according to Babb. When James did not answer, Alan Thompson called Austin, who did not act strangely, according to Babb.
"He told Austin he was going to the grocery store, and Austin said he didn't need anything," Babb described. "Austin seemed totally fine on the phone, completely normal."
That phone call to Austin was placed around 4:30 p.m. According to warrants, first responders arrived in the Hedingham neighborhood around 5:15 p.m.
Babb said Alan Thompson noticed a large police presence as he was heading home, and he asked Austin to "hunker down." When Alan Thompson arrived home, he was unable to get into his house. That's when first responders told him his older son was killed, and his younger son was missing.
Weapons found in Hedingham mass shooting
Search warrants list 11 firearms and 170 boxes of ammunition seized from Austin Thompson's home.
According to warrants, the teenager, who was found in a shed after the shootings, had a shotgun, $772 in cash, multiple pistols, "projectiles," knives, rifles, rifle magazines, shell casings, ammunition rounds and bullets. He also had a bag, suggesting he was planning a getaway.
It is unclear how many of each weapon Thompson had, which weapons he carried through the neighborhood and if any weapons were stored in the shed ahead of time.
Thompson was arrested at the shed, located beside a home on McConnell Oliver Drive, close to 6 miles away from his own home.
A search warrant for Austin Thompson's cell phone states he used Google to search "active shooter NC," previous mass killings, the age of suspects and weapons used in violent crime and police response tactics, including 10-codes, which are short phrases police use to communicate quickly over the radio.
On Wednesday, Bumm explained why Alan Thompson is not facing more serious charges, like James and Jennifer Crumbley in Michigan, who are serving life in prison after pleading guilty to murder and terrorism. Their 17-year-old son, Ethan Crumbley, is accused of opening fire on Nov. 30, 2021, at Oxford High School, killing four students and injuring others.
"There was no indication that was apparent to Austin's parents to anyone at school, or anyone else," Bumm said. "This is not a case like Michigan ... where parents were on notice and there were red flags, that is not the case in this case."
'What happened to Alan isn't justice': Fiancé of Hedingham victim reacts to guilty plea
Following Alan Thompson's sentencing, WRAL News interviewed Rob Steele, the fiancé of Mary Marshall, who died in the Hedingham shooting.
"He was guilty, no question," Steele said, adding he was not surprised at the outcome of Alan Thompson's trial.
"What bothers me is the penalty, one year of unsupervised probation," Steele said.
Steele believes the ammunition should have been locked away where Austin Thompson could not access it.
"Put a safe in, put [the] ammo in a safe," he said. "A gun is nothing but a club without a bullet to go with it."
Steele said he will be waiting for Austin Thompson's trial.
"The real justice comes next September when Austin himself stands trial," Steele said. "What happened to Alan isn't justice, it's not enough."
Five killed, two injured in Hedingham shooting
Five people died in the Oct. 13, 2022, shooting, including
- James Thompson, 16, brother of the suspect
- Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work at the Raleigh Police Department
- Nicole Conners, 52, who was shot on her front porch with her dog
- Susan Karnatz, 49, who was running on the Neuse River Greenway
- Mary Marshall, 34, who was shot on the Neuse River Greenway
Thompson also allegedly shot and injured two people:
- Raleigh police officer Casey Clark was injured during the search for the shooter
- Marcille "Lynn" Gardner, a special education teacher, who lived in the Hedingham neighborhood