Mary-Ann Baldwin, mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, was overwhelmed with emotion, apologetic, fighting back tears, in her appearance before the press on Thursday night. “We have to end this senseless gun violence in the United States, we have to do something more,” she remarked.
The mayor went through the bad experience of reporting the death of five people, including a police officer who was off duty, in a new massacre in the country where these misfortunes are commonplace. The endless story. There were a few wounded, one of them was another police officer, although his life was not in danger.
He also announced that the alleged gunman was surrounded, "contained", in the northwest area of the downtown part of the city, without his arrest having taken place. Within a few minutes, the police department posted the arrest on its Twitter account. "The suspect is in custody," he said in his message, without providing more details about the alleged perpetrator.
In the characteristic trickle of information in these situations, Lieutenant Jason Borneo, a police spokesman, explained to journalists that the detainee is a minor teenager, so he did not reveal his identity. Neither he nor he ventured any hypothesis about the motives. "It's an ongoing investigation," he replied.
"This is a sad and tragic day," Baldwin said. “We have a lot of homework ahead of us tonight, we have a lot to cry about,” he lamented.
Shortly before six in the afternoon, the Raleigh Police Department explained that the uniformed officers were responding to an "active gunman" situation in the Hendingham neighborhood, located in an area on the outskirts of downtown.
The department also warned residents of that neighborhood to stay indoors, off the streets. This area is very close to the Neuser River Greenway, a very popular urban trail.
The shooting sparked turmoil and unrest in a neighborhood known for its calm, single-family homes and a golf course. The traffic, which is generally light, became an ordeal for those who returned home after work.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper tweeted at the time that "state and local officials are on the ground and working to stop the gunman and ensure the safety of citizens."
Taylor Burke, a resident in the area of the event, told CBS that, shortly after her children returned home from school, the noise of helicopters began to be heard and she saw a large deployment of police officers. “The officers had their guns drawn, ready to shoot,” he recalled.
A witness, who identified himself as Robert, told NBC that he saw the gunman dressed in camouflage and holding a long-barreled shotgun. "I've seen it pass right by my patio," he said. Another witness added that he was wearing black boots and that he thought he was a teenager. "He looked like a child," he told a radio station.
"All of us who are part of Raleigh must unite," concluded Mayor Baldwin with a trembling voice and on the verge of tears. "We have to give support to those who have suffered a terrible loss, the loss of a loved one," she added. As they say, this is the daily bread in the United States, and armed to the teeth.
