In the aftermath of a Thursday shooting that left five people dead in Raleigh, North Carolina, details emerged about the victims as loved ones and a community mourned.
Among those who were killed were a police officer, an avid marathon runner and a neighborhood social butterfly. One was supposed to get married in two weeks at her dream fall wedding in the mountains. Another was just 16 years old and a junior in high school.
A 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody Thursday night after being accused of shooting people in a residential neighborhood before opening fire again along a walking trail.
LATEST UPDATES:15-year-old arrested after 5 killed in North Carolina shooting
Here’s what we know about the victims:
Nicole Connors
Nicole Connors, 52, was a popular neighborhood figure who always talked to Hedingham residents when she walked her dog or sat on her front porch with her coffee, her husband, Tracey Howard, told USA TODAY.
“Everyone in the neighborhood liked her,” said Howard, 57, who described Connors as a “fun-loving” person who could get along with “just about anybody.”
Connors, who worked as a Human Resources representative, was “probably the most well-known person in the neighborhood,” a neighbor recently told Howard, he said.
Speaking through tears Saturday, Howard said the talks he and his wife shared over coffee are “the things I’m going to miss about her the most.”
Howard and Connors had been married for five years. For fun, they loved exploring different restaurants in downtown Raleigh and Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar was one of their favorite places to eat, said Howard, who drives a semi-truck for U.S. Foods.
Connors and her dog, Sami, were both fatally shot on their front porch, according to Howard.
A funeral will be held in Dayton, Ohio, where the couple is from.
Howard called Thursday’s mass shooting “a senseless unforgiving act,” adding, “we need new gun laws.”
It feels like lawmakers “aren’t listening anyway,” but, “a child should not have access or be able to get access to any kind of weapon,” Howard said.
Susan Karnatz
Susan Karnatz, 49, was an avid runner, loving wife and “amazing mother” to three sons, her husband, Tom Karnatz said. Her sons were ages 10, 13 and 14, her husband told WRAL News.
“We’re absolutely heartbroken and miss her dearly,” he said.
Karnatz frequented the greenway where some of the shootings took place. In her driveway, two cars were parked with 26.2 stickers, signifying the number of miles in a marathon. A minivan had the license plate “RUNNR.”
Mary Marshall
Mary Marshall, 34, was a U.S. Navy veteran and a trained pastry chef. She was looking forward to marrying her fiancé, Robert Steele, later this month, her sister told NBC.
The couple’s wedding will now be a celebration of Marshall’s life, her sister Meaghan McCrickard said.
“Her fiancé Rob, he was just the love of her life,” McCrickard told NBC.
Before living in Raleigh, North Carolina, Marshall lived in Orlando, Florida, her step-grandmother, Donna Marshall told the News & Observer.
“She loved to go to the beach, and she was an absolute fanatic about Disney World,” Donna Marshall said.
On Friday, the president of Wake Tech Community College said on Twitter, “Mary was known by faculty and students as a hard worker with a determination to succeed.”
She was one of six culinary students selected to study in France, Wake Tech president Scott Ralls said.
James Roger Thompson
James Roger Thompson, 16, was a junior at Knightdale High School, principal Keith Richardson said in a statement Friday.
“It is an unexpected loss and we are saddened by it,” Richardson said. “Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to James’ family, the other victims, their families and all who have been impacted by yesterday’s events.”
Counseling and crisis teams will be available at the school through next week, he said.
“Our hearts go out to the victims’ loved ones, and our community continues to seek answers around this tragedy and solutions to prevent such unspeakable events in the future,” Lindsay Mahaffey, the school board chair, and Catty Moore, superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, said in a statement.
Gabriel Torres
Gabriel Torres, 29, an off-duty police officer at the time of the shooting, was on his way to work when he was killed, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said, according to the News & Observer.
Torres was part of the Raleigh Police Department for 18 months, Patterson said.
He also served Marine from November 2016 to February 2021 and was stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, where he reached the rank of sergeant. Torres’s military awards include a medal for good conduct, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a Humanitarian Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, according to the News & Observer.
Torres leaves behind his wife and a child, Patterson said.
“This is an extremely, extremely painful event for our officers and me,” Patterson said. “I was immediately taken aback, shocked by what occurred.”
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.