Teen who died after Durham traffic stop had ‘gunshot wound consistent with suicide’
This story was updated at 2:44 p.m. Dec. 18, 2019.
The Durham County Sheriff’s Office says a teen who died early Sunday morning after hitting a power pole during a traffic stop committed suicide.
J’Mauri J. Bumpass, 18, of Durham died from a “close-range gunshot wound, consistent with suicide,” according to preliminary autopsy results from the N.C. Medical Examiner’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.
Deputies were patrolling near Old Oxford Highway and Meriwether Drive around 12:39 a.m. Sunday when they saw a car with fictitious tags, according the Sheriff’s Office.
The deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop and “during the stop the vehicle struck a power pole,” the release said.
Bumpass was taken to Duke University Hospital where he died.
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 11:55 AM.
