Austin Thompson has been identified by his parents as the teenager who killed five people and wounded two others in a shooting Thursday in the Hedingham neighborhood. A family dog ​​was also killed. The shooting terrorized the neighborhood for hours, ending only when officers surrounded Thompson and finally took him into custody. During this arrest, Thompson was seriously injured and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. On Wednesday, his mother, Elise, told ABC11 that her son was “showing some signs of improvement.” He remains at WakeMed. Elise and her husband are also the parents of one of the victims killed in the shooting. On Tuesday, they issued a statement through their lawyers “Words cannot begin to describe our anguish and sadness,” the statement from Alan and Elise Thompson began. “Our son Austin has caused immeasurable pain in the Raleigh community and we are overwhelmed with grief for the innocent lives lost. We pray for the families and loved ones of Nicole Conners, Susan Karnatz, Mary Marshall and Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres. We we mourn their loss and the loss of our son, James.” We pray that Marcille “Lynn” Gardner and Raleigh Police Officer Casey Clark make a full recovery from their injuries, and we pray for all those who were traumatized by these senseless acts of violence.” “We have so many unanswered questions. There were never any indications or warning signs that Austin was capable of doing anything like this. Our family will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials and do everything we can to help them find understand why and how this happened.” The shooting hit the community hard, including at Knightdale High School where Austin is a 10th grader and his brother James was a senior. “It’s awful,” Knightdale High student Michael O’Neill said. James Thompson will be laid to rest on Thursday. According to his obituary, he enjoyed spending time with his grandmother, going to amusement parks, the beach, the mountains, sporting events and playing basketball at his church. “It’s going to take time, treatment. They need to get a lot more mental health resources, a lot more resources. because something happened. we don’t know what set him off,” said Raleigh resident Lekisha Riddick. “We may never know.” On Tuesday night, in the community of Heddingham, neighbors reacted to the statement issued by the parents. “I know their hearts are broken because of what happened. They’re in a lot of pain, too,” said a neighbor, who was walking her dog on Castle Pines Drive. The neighbor, who wanted to be identified only as Sheila, said she remembered seeing the Thompson sons when they were younger. She also said that their father did useful work for some of her friends. He said he understands the parent’s grief. “I sympathize with them and what they said in a statement,” Sheila said. “They had no idea he did something like that. You can’t just blame them. I just want to know where he got the gun.” Earlier Tuesday, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson briefed the Raleigh City Council on the investigation into Thursday’s shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood. Patterson said further details would be released in the ministry’s 5-day report, which is expected to be released on Thursday. The report will include a detailed description of the events during the shooting, including the suspect’s injuries and the type of weapon used. He also said one of the shooting victims is improving and the second has been released from the hospital. WATCHES | ‘Unforgivable act’: Raleigh mass murder victim’s husband struggles with loss of life partner The chief said the homicide unit has been working around the clock for the past five days to “better understand the sequence of events that occurred and the possible motivation behind the suspect’s actions.” City officials also announced that a public vigil will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday outside Memorial Auditorium. SEE ALSO | What we know about the dead in the Hedingham mass attack “The light that usually shines in Raleigh doesn’t shine as bright,” Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said at the council meeting. The city also announced it is creating a website that will offer support resources to families and the greater Raleigh community. Copyright © 2022 WTVD-TV. All rights reserved.