Father of accused Hedingham mass shooter pleads guilty to unsafe firearms-storage charge

The father of the accused Hedingham mass shooter pleaded guilty Wednesday to improperly storing a 9mm handgun on a bedside table — a weapon that matches evidence found near several victims.

Alan Thompson will serve a year’s unsupervised probation for the misdemeanor charge of storing a firearm with a minor’s unsafe access. He dabbed at his eyes during Wednesday’s hearing, but he did not speak in court or address victims’ families while leaving.

“Alan is accepting responsibility, and the community is outraged,” said his attorney, Russell Babb. “But it is important for us to understand that as a parent, Alan Thompson is living the unthinkable ... and he may never know why this happened.”

The 61-year-old handyman lost his son James in the Oct. 13, 2022, shooting spree in which his younger son Austin, then 15, is charged with killing five people and injuring two others in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood near the Neuse River Greenway Trail.

Austin Thompson allegedly used a shotgun and a handgun in the shooting, and more weapons and ammunition were found on him after an hours-long standoff in which he traded gunfire with law enforcement, injuring a Raleigh police officer, The News & Observer previously reported.

Investigators seized 11 firearms and 160 boxes of ammunition — some of them empty — from the home, search warrants showed. This included four shotguns, five rifles and two pistols.

Gun kept on bedside table, prosecutors say

‘During Wednesday’s hearing, Wake County Assistant District Attorney Luke Bumm said investigators found a 9mm handgun at the shed where Austin Thompson was caught, and that it was consistent with evidence found around the earliest victims.

Alan Thompson, he said, kept the loaded handgun in an unlocked box on a bedside table.

But Babb said Austin Thompson showed no signs of violence, and that Alan Thompson spoke with Austin twice on the phone in the moments leading up to and after the mass shooting.

“He did not seem agitated,” Babb said. “He did not seem angry. He did not seem upset.”

“What is particularly terrifying is that by this point, James was almost certainly dead,” he said.

Babb said Thompson spoke to his youngest son while driving home from a job, and that he asked if he needed anything while he stopped to get a gallon of milk.

“Austin seemed totally fine on the phone,” Babb said. “Completely normal.”

Thompson then saw police cars rushing toward Hedingham and called again, warning Austin that he and his brothers should hunker down in the house. He called a third time and got no answer.

Police initially would not let Thompson into the house, Babb said, and when he learned his eldest son was dead, he assumed Austin had gone to pursue the killer.

“That’s when an officer told him,” Babb said.

“Austin was not chasing the shooter. Austin was the shooter.”

The charges against Austin Thompson

Austin Thompson is charged with five counts of murder in the deaths of his 16-year-old brother James, Nicole Connors, Susan Karnatz, Mary Elizabeth Marshall and Gabriel Torres.

He is also charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious injury for the injuries sustained by Marcille Lynn Gardner; and with that offense and assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer for the injuries sustained by Raleigh Police Officer C. Clark.

Austin Thompson was taken into custody after reportedly shooting himself and was taken to WakeMed, where he remained in critical condition for several days.

His trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 22, 2025, in Wake County Superior Court, District Attorney Lorrin Freeman has said.

At Wednesday’s plea hearing, Babb emphasized Austin Thompson gave no indication of violent thoughts.

“There was no advance warning of any kind,” he said. “There is no history of mental illness. There were no bullying incidents. ... Austin was not abused. He did not say or write ominous threats. He did not make odd drawings or act suspiciously. ... He did not get into trouble at home. He did not get into trouble at school. ... There were no warning signs something like this could ever happen.”

Alan Thompson had no prior criminal record. District Court Judge Mark Stevens said his 45-day jail sentence is suspended.

“In this case,” Stevens said, noting its gravity, “I want to say less. The only thing I want to say is this is a case of epic tragedy.”