Raleigh Hedingham Shooting: Detective Varnadoe Recalls Response | 2022
- Raleigh Police Detective Thomas Russell Varnadoe shared his recollections of responding to the mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood on October 13, 2022.
- The shooting, which unfolded over three years ago, left five people dead and seriously wounded others.
- Gardner and her friend, Nicole Connors, were specifically targeted during the shooting.
Raleigh Detective Recalls Response to Hedingham Shooting, Sentencing Underway
Raleigh Police Detective Thomas Russell Varnadoe shared his recollections of responding to the mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood on . His testimony came during the sentencing phase for Austin Thompson, the 18-year-old who pleaded guilty last month to the killings.
The shooting, which unfolded over three years ago, left five people dead and seriously wounded others. Marcille Gardner, a survivor, testified on , recounting the sounds of gunfire – “bang, bang, bang” – and the moment she realized she had been shot. She described lying in a pool of blood and praying for help.
Gardner and her friend, Nicole Connors, were specifically targeted during the shooting. Connors was among those killed. Gardner required numerous surgeries and spent three months in the hospital, and still has a fragment of a shotgun pellet lodged in her chest from the five shots she sustained.
Austin Thompson, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to ten charges on , including five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and assault on a law enforcement officer. He could face a maximum sentence of five life sentences plus an additional 136 years in prison.
The sentencing hearing, expected to last two weeks, began on with victim impact statements. Parents Alan and Elise Thompson released a statement shortly after the 2022 shooting, expressing their grief and acknowledging the immeasurable pain their son, Austin, inflicted on the Raleigh community.
Detective Varnadoe’s testimony on focused on his experience responding to the scene and witnessing the injuries sustained by fellow officers. The details of his testimony were shared in a video released by WRAL on .
The Hedingham neighborhood is located in east Raleigh. The shooting spree began with the killing of Thompson’s brother before escalating into a wider attack on the community.