Susan Karnatz, a 49-year-old White woman from Raleigh, North Carolina, was a devoted mother, wife, and an avid runner. A former school psychologist, she was homeschooling her three sons, ages 10, 13, and 14. She was married to Thomas Karnatz Jr., whom she met in a local running club. A four-time Boston Marathon finisher and an ultra-marathoner, Susan was described by friends and family as a "beacon of strength" and the "rock of her family."
Her sister remembered her for her "love of family, her gentleness with all creatures, her ability to squeeze every joy out of life she could."
On the evening of October 13, 2022, Susan was on a familiar seven-mile run along the Neuse River Greenway Trail, a path she ran almost every day. She was just over five miles into her run when she was shot and killed. Her death was part of a shooting spree that began in the nearby Hedingham neighborhood. A gunman killed two people there before moving onto the greenway, where he killed Susan and two others. According to a police report, authorities found Susan at approximately 5:19 p.m. She had died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The rampage claimed five lives, ranging in age from 16 to 52, and left two other people wounded. In the days that followed, Susan's death inspired runners from as far away as Australia and Ireland to finish the last 1.9 miles of her run. Using the hashtag #RunforSue, they shared photos of their routes to honor her memory and show support for her family. Her husband Tom wrote of his grief on Facebook, "We had plans together for big adventures. And plans together for the mundane days in between... Now those plans are laid to waste."
Police captured the shooter hours after the attack. He was identified as Austin Thompson, a 15-year-old boy who lived in the neighborhood. One of the victims, 16-year-old James Thompson, was his older brother. The shooter was hospitalized in critical condition following his arrest and was later charged with five counts of murder and other offenses.
On January 21, 2026, Austin Thompson, then 18, pleaded guilty to all five counts of first-degree murder and additional charges for the attack. A judge sentenced him on February 13, 2026, to five consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case was closed as of February 2026.
