A 15-year-old teenager has been arrested after a shooting spree that left five people dead including a police officer and a mum-of-three.
Mum Susan Karnatz, 49, was gunned down along with Nicole Connors, 52, Mary Marshall, 35, off-duty police officer Gabriel Torres, 29, and an as-yet unidentified 16-year-old boy.
The suspected shooter, a 15-year-old boy, was detained despite being in hospital in critical condition following the shooting in the North Carolina city of Raleigh.
Police are working to find a motive for the spree in the quiet middle-class Hedingham neighbourhood.
The shooting began at around 5pm local time on Thursday October 13 with residents being told to remain in their homes for hours as police conducted a massive manhunt.
The suspect was later found near the Neuse River Greenway, a walking and biking trial where he shot more people, Patterson said.
After a standoff, police apprehended him at a residence near the trail.
The crime scene stretched for two miles.
"No one should feel this fear in the communities - no one," Democratic Governor Roy Cooper said during the briefing, calling the incident an "infuriating and tragic act of gun violence".
He continued: "Tonight, terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh."
Two people were wounded: a police officer who was treated and released, and a 59-year-old woman who was hospitalised in critical condition, Police Chief Estella Patterson said during a news conference.
The police chief did not provide details on the shooting itself and could not say whether the suspect is related to the victims.
An eye witness told WRAL they saw the shooter dressed in camouflage clothing with a backpack and black boots. They said: "He looked like a baby. I just don't even have the words to explain. This is not OK."
The shooting started on Sahalee Way before the gunman fled towards the trail, where he shot some of the victims. He then retreated to a barn before being cornered.
It is so far unclear whether the suspect's injuries were self-inflicted or whether he was shot by the police.
Another local resident, named Robert, said: "I heard two gunshots, and they were really loud so I knew something was close by, and then I heard three other gunshots.
"I saw him basically pass my house in the backyard. He had a long-barrel shotgun. He was dressed in camo. He had a full backpack on that was also camouflage."
On Friday morning, the streets in the neighbourhood where the shootings occurred were still blocked by yellow police tape, and squad cars remained parked outside of several homes, footage from local media showed.
Patterson said her department would produce a report on the incident within the next five days.
