Billy Graham chaplains will come to Raleigh neighborhood that’s site of mass shooting

Chaplains from Billy Graham Ministries are headed to Raleigh in response to a mass shooting that left five people dead, including a police officer, and two people injured.

“What an incredibly terrifying situation. My heart is heavy to hear about this tragic mass shooting,” said Josh Holland, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, in a news release. “We are sending our crisis-trained chaplains to comfort people, listen and cry with them, pray with them and share God’s love with those who have been impacted by this horrific tragedy.”

A mobile ministry center will be set up at the Hedingham Community Pool on Grand Traverse Drive as “a hub for prayer and conversation with locals.”

The news release did not say when the center would be set up or how long it would stay. A Billy Graham Evangelistic Association staff member was not available for a phone call Friday afternoon.

The shooting happened just after 5 p.m. in the Hedingham neighborhood in northeast Raleigh near Osprey Cove and Bay Harbor.

All of the victims lived in the neighborhood, which is adjacent to the Neuse River Greenway trail.

The shooting sparked a massive manhunt that drew law enforcement from across the region. The 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody about 9:37 p.m. and remains at the hospital in critical condition.

Sources confirmed for The News & Observer that the 15-year-old is Austin Thompson, a sophomore at Knightdale High School and the brother of James Thompson, one of the people killed.

It’s common for the religious organization to send chaplains after a crisis. The organization is named for the North Carolina-born evangelist, the late Rev. Billy Graham.

The Rapid Response Team is also stationed in:

• Florida, in response to Hurricane Ian.

• Eastern Kentucky, in response to massive flooding.

• Buchanan County, Virginia, in response to massive flooding.

• Ukraine, given the war in the country.