RALEIGH, N.C. — Newly released search warrants reveal police recovered at least 10 guns and a vast inventory of ammo from the home of accused Hedingham shooter Austin Thompson.

Warrants also reveal Thompson wrote a gruesome note about the death of his brother, James Thompson, and looked up terms like "active shooter" online while being hunted by multiple law enforcement entities. 

One document showed Austin Thompson left a note describing his brother James Thompson's murder in detail and claiming responsibility for it. The articles obtained from the Wake County Superior Court show the author identified as “A” based on a single signature. Investigators stated the writer of the note claimed credit for “J.T.’s” death.

The same document revealed investigators identified “J.T.” as the victim and brother of “A.” Through further investigation, the document stated Raleigh Police Officers discovered “J.T.” to be James Thompson. The letter describes how "A" shot then stabbed "J.T." until he stopped breathing.

Austin Thompson allegedly shot and killed his older brother, James Thompson, in their home before taking a shotgun and handgun into the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh, according to police. 

The same initial investigation stated the body of James Thompson was in the master bathroom of that same home.

A deeper look at the documents revealed that authorities recovered a vast inventory of guns and ammo, including no fewer than 10 firearms, which were then seized by law enforcement personnel from Thompson’s home, located in the 5300 block of Sahalee Way in the Hedingham subdivision.

A digital forensic analysis of Austin Thompson and his family’s cell phone records was also conducted to determine usernames used by the accused shooter for electronic communication. Forensics found multiple email addresses were used by the accused killer. Cell phone records indicated he searched “active shooter nc” in the process of being hunted by law enforcement on the night of Oct. 13, 2022.

Austin Thompson, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, will be tried beginning Sept. 22, 2025, according to Wake County Chief Public Defender Deonte L. Thomas.

After allegedly killing his brother, Thompson went on a shooting spree that shut down part of Raleigh for nearly four hours and left four others dead and two injured. 

Thompson was found in a shed about two miles from where the first shots were fired. Police said he exchanged fire with officers, injuring one, before a SWAT team entered the building and found him with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital. 

He faces murder charges in the deaths of Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres, James Roger Thompson, Mary Elizabeth Marshall, Nicole Connors and Susan Karnatz. 

He is also facing attempted murder and other related charges over injuring Marcille Lynn Gardner and Raleigh Police Officer C. Clark. 

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman announced in October of last year that Thompson would be tried as an adult. His case lingered in juvenile court before being moved to Superior Court nearly a year after the shooting. A Wake County grand jury returned five counts of murder against Thompson on Oct. 4, 2023. 

Thompson's father, Alan Thompson, also faces a charge over storing a firearm in a manner accessible a to minor. Under North Carolina law, parents who own firearms have a responsibility to store them in a way that unsupervised minors cannot access them. 

Alan Thompson was scheduled to appear in court this month but had his court date rescheduled for May 30. Earlier this month, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, who killed four students in a Michigan High School in 2021, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for failing to secure a gun at home. 

Austin Thompson, now 16, is being held in a juvenile facility until trial. 

This story is developing and will be updated as needed.