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Raleigh mom first on scene to find teen son dead after being shot by brother: report

The mother of a 15 year-old North Carolina boy accused of going on a shooting spree and killing five people in Raleigh was reportedly the first on the scene after her son allegedly shot his older brother dead.

Austin Thompson’s mother Elise arrived at her family’s home Thursday in a panic – only to find her son James, 16, shot dead in a bathroom, the Daily Mail reported Saturday. Pictures obtained by the media outlet show the 52-year-old mother’s blue Honda CRV still parked where she left it on the street opposite her front door.

She didn’t even turn into her driveway before rushing into the home, which was before police had arrived at the scene, neighbors said.

Austin is accused of killing four people – including an off-duty officer — and injuring two others later the same day, blasting his victims with a shotgun.

Law enforcement officers block off Old Milburnie Road during a shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.
Austin Thompson is accused of shooting his brother and four other people. Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP
Austin Thompson was reportedly wearing camouflage during his attack.
Thompson will be reportedly prosecuted as an adult.

Witnesses said the shooter had been dressed in camouflage clothing, with a backpack and black boots. He later barricaded himself in a nearby barn, and was found with by authorities with a gunshot wound to his head. 

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told Fox News Friday that she will prosecute the teen — who is in critical condition at a hospital after the attack — as an adult, “assuming he recovers.”