At least five people were killed, including an off-duty police officer, and two others were injured in a shooting along a North Carolina nature trail on Thursday evening, authorities said.
The suspect, who local police described as a white male juvenile, was taken into custody with life-threatening injuries, according to a briefing memo issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and obtained by ABC News.
“It is unknown if the suspect’s injuries are self-inflicted,” the memo said.
A law enforcement official told ABC News that the suspect is 15 years old.
The shooting occurred in the vicinity of the Neuse River Greenway Trail near Osprey Cove and Bay Harbor drives in North Carolina’s capital city of Raleigh. As the deadly incident unfolded, the Raleigh Police Department took to Twitter to advise nearby residents “to remain in their homes.”
Police block the entrance to I-540 east at Buffaloe Road in Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 13, 2022.
Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP
Raleigh Police Lt. Jason Borneo later told reporters there was no active, ongoing threat. The shooting remains under investigation and a motive was unknown.
An injured officer was treated and released from the hospital, while a second individual remains in critical condition, according to Borneo.
“When we lose one of our own, it is a tragic, heartbreaking day for all of us,” Borneo said during a press conference on Thursday night.
A K-9 officer who has non-life-threatening injuries is among the injured, according to Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.
“We must stop this mindless violence in America and we must address gun violence,” Baldwin told reporters.
Law enforcement officers block off Old Milburnie Road during a shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 13, 2022.
Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP
At least three people were transported to WakeMed Health and Hospitals’ trauma center in Raleigh in connection with the incident, a hospital official told ABC News.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he has instructed state law enforcement to “provide assistance responding to the active shooter in East Raleigh.”
“State and local officers are on the ground and working to stop the shooter and keep people safe,” Cooper tweeted.
Law enforcement stand at the entrance to Neuse River Greenway Trail parking at Abington Lane following a shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 13, 2022.
Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP
The governor also spoke during a second press conference on Thursday night, describing the shooting as “a senseless, horrific and infuriating act of violence.”
“Tonight terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh,” he said.
North Carolina Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie Buffaloe, Jr. confirmed that his agency has made state resources available and is “working with local law enforcement to stop this shooter.”
North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina State Capitol Police and North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement are assisting the Raleigh Police Department with the incident.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.