In an all-too-common scene, Raleigh’s mayor takes her turn at calling for prayers

Standing over a dimly lit podium outside city hall, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin’s hands were shaking as she gave the world its first official update on the mass shooting that killed five people and injured two others.

“This is a sad and tragic day,” Baldwin said.

It’s become all too common a scene: a city mayor at a podium in the wake of a mass shooting to urge for prays and community support. On Thursday, it was Raleigh and Baldwin’s turn.

Hours earlier, the first-term mayor was in campaign mode with an election just weeks away. Now she was thrust into the national spotlight, visibly shaken.

“There is immense sadness,” Baldwin said in an interview with The News & Observer. “There’s the sadness, there’s anger. I mean, just how can this happen? You’re dealing with all these conflicting emotions, and your stomach is pretty out of whack. But that’s what we are here to do. To deal with difficult situations.”

She’d just finished a campaign event and was headed to another when she got word that a Raleigh police officer had been shot.

“We didn’t know the magnitude of the story,” Baldwin said. “I was on my way to my third event. When I got there I told them I couldn’t stay. I had to go because we started learning what had transpired.”

She gathered with City Manager Marchell Adams-David, law enforcement leadership and others in the city manager’s conference room on the second floor.

At the second press conference Thursday night, held inside the Raleigh Municipal Building, Baldwin kept her hands pressed against the podium. Her voice was steadier as she stood near Gov. Roy Cooper and other state and local leaders.

Come Friday morning, nearly all members of the Raleigh City Council stood next to her outside city hall.

“There are several families in our community waking up this morning without their loved ones,” she said. “We grieve for them today. Our prayers are also for those who are injured. You know no one can imagine what they are all going through but please know we as a community stand with you today.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 12:06 PM with the headline "In an all-too-common scene, Raleigh’s mayor takes her turn at calling for prayers."

Anna Roman

The News & Observer

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Anna Roman is a service journalism reporter for the News & Observer. She has previously covered city government, crime and business for newspapers across North Carolina and received many North Carolina Press Association awards, including first place for investigative reporting.