Raleigh: Judge approves settlement in Hedingham mass shooting civil lawsuit

A Wake County Superior Court judge on Thursday approved a settlement in the civil lawsuit over the October 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood, according to court coverage by CBS 17 and WRAL.

Judge Vince Rozier signed off at a hearing on Oct. 8. The amount and the rest of the terms have not been made public. Court filings asked that those details stay confidential, CBS 17 and WRAL reported.

The deal does not end the case. WRAL, after the hearing, said claims against Austin Thompson, who was convicted in the shootings, and against his parents still stand. The News & Observer reported that remaining case is set for trial in January 2027.

Who settled, and who did not

CBS 17, citing online court documents, said these defendants agreed to settle:

• the Hedingham Community Association
• the neighborhood's property management company
• Capitol Special Police, the private firm hired to patrol that day
• an employee of that security company

The News & Observer identified the property manager as HRW and the employee as Nicole Locke.

The complaint filed Oct. 4, 2024, in Wake County Superior Court, case 24CV031791-910, names Hedingham Community Association; Capitol Special Police, LLC; Roy G. Taylor; Nicole Locke; H.R.W. Inc.; Austin D. Thompson; Alan Thompson; and Elise Thompson. CBS 17, WRAL and The News & Observer did not list Taylor among the parties who settled. We have not seen a docket entry that says he did.

Alan and Elise Thompson are not part of the settlement, CBS 17 reported from those court documents.

WRAL reported that state law required the judge to approve the deal because some of the people who would benefit are minors. A lawyer for the plaintiffs told the court that no settlement can make the families whole, but that the proposal provided "substantial recovery," WRAL reported.

The 2022 shooting, and the criminal case

On Oct. 13, 2022, five people were killed in and around Hedingham and two others were hurt. The City of Raleigh's fallen-officers page says Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres was one of the five. The 2024 complaint names the other people killed as Nicole Connors-Howard, Susan Butler Karnatz and Mary Marshall, and names the two surviving plaintiffs as Marcille Lynn Gardner and Officer Casey Joseph Clark. Court coverage of the criminal sentencing also names James Thompson among the five who died. His estate is not a plaintiff in the 2024 complaint.

Austin Thompson pleaded guilty. On Feb. 13, 2026, Judge Paul Ridgeway sentenced him to five consecutive terms of life in prison without parole on five first-degree murder counts, plus more time on attempted-murder and assault counts, WRAL and The Associated Press reported.

Background

The civil complaint, stamped by the Wake County clerk on Oct. 4, 2024, was brought by Gardner, Clark and the estates of Karnatz, Marshall, Connors-Howard and Torres. The plaintiffs asked a jury to find several neighborhood and security defendants negligent, and they also sued Austin Thompson and his parents.

Those negligence claims are allegations in a civil filing. They are not criminal charges, and they have not been tried to a verdict against the companies that settled.

WRAL reported in June 2026 that a motion had asked to move the civil trial to Jan. 11, 2027. The News & Observer's story on Thursday's settlement said the case that remains, against Thompson and his parents, is set for January 2027. We have not pulled the current calendar setting from the clerk.

Timeline

• Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022: Five people are killed and two others are hurt in Hedingham.
• Friday, Oct. 4, 2024: The civil complaint is filed as Wake County case 24CV031791-910.
• Friday, Feb. 13, 2026: Austin Thompson is sentenced to five consecutive life terms without parole.
• Monday, Oct. 5, 2026: Filings ask a judge to approve confidential settlements with some defendants. The parents are not included.
• Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026: Judge Vince Rozier approves the settlement.

What happens next

The claims against Austin Thompson and his parents remain on the docket, with a trial date in January 2027 according to The News & Observer. The settlement terms are not public.

We will update this story if the clerk's office releases the order or if the remaining case changes. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.