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Knightdale High School postpones homecoming events after student is killed in shooting

By Martha Quillin

Updated January 10, 2025 4:29 PM

Exterior of Knightdale High School in Knightdale, N.C. Wake County Public School System

Raleigh mass shooting in Hedingham neighborhood

On Oct. 13, 2022, seven people were shot in Raleigh, NC, in the Hedingham neighborhood near the Neuse River Greenway Trail. Five were killed, including a Raleigh police officer. High school student Austin Thompson was charged with their murders. Read The News & Observer’s ongoing coverage of the mass shooting, Thompson’s guilty plea and ongoing civil lawsuit.

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Knightdale High School’s Friday homecoming events have been postponed following the shooting death of a student on Thursday night.

James Thompson, 16, a junior at Knightdale High, was one of five people killed during a mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh Thursday night. School Principal Keith Richardson issued a statement Friday afternoon saying, “This is an incredibly difficult time for our school community as well as the broader Raleigh community. We have learned that junior James Thompson was killed in yesterday’s tragic shooting on the Neuse River Greenway. It is an unexpected loss and we are saddened by it.”

A tailgating party with a DJ, food trucks and the football game against Rolesville High School were originally scheduled for Friday night.

The game now has been rescheduled for Monday, the school’s athletics department announced. The tailgate party, homecoming court and dance now will take place on Oct. 28, which is the school’s Senior Night, Richardson said.

Thompson was one of five people killed during a mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh Thursday night. School Principal Keith Richardson issued a statement Friday afternoon saying, “This is an incredibly difficult time for our school community as well

Sources have confirmed to The News & Observer that the suspect in the mass shooting is James Thompson’s 15-year-old brother, Austin Thompson, a sophomore at Knightdale High School.

Counselors were available for students and staff on Friday.

This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Knightdale High School postpones homecoming events after student is killed in shooting."