Durham teen found shot to death was a Hillside High student set to graduate

This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. April 6, 2021.

Durham police on Tuesday identified a young man found fatally shot Monday morning in south Durham as Joshua Garner, 18, of Durham.

Officers responding to a shooting call shortly after 7 a.m. found Garner dead in a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix at Kirby Street and Chowan Avenue.

No charges had been filed as of late Tuesday afternoon, and police did not provide any other details.

Garner was a student at Hillside High School scheduled to graduate with the class of 2021, a spokesman for Durham Public Schools confirmed.

The school planned to contact Hillside families Tuesday night about opportunities for students to speak with counselors.

Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis has said young people account for a disproportionate share of gun violence in Durham.

Last year 318 people were shot in Durham, 33 of them fatally, according to Durham Police Department statistics.

Ninety-eight of the people shot last year were 20 years old or younger, the statistics showed.

Fifty-one were 18 to 20 years old.

Police ask that anyone with information in Monday’s shooting call CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers don’t have to identify themselves

This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 9:53 AM.