Durham Police Chief to create new gun violence unit after recent spike in shootings
After five people were killed in shootings over the past week, Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews said the department will form a new unit to focus on gun violence.
“Violent crimes, in particular gun crimes, have been on the rise in our community and nationally,” Andrews said at a press conference Wednesday. “These single acts of violence forever change lives.”
Andrews spoke a day after two people were killed and a third was hospitalized in Tuesday night shootings in Durham.
This year, 16 people in the Bull City have been killed, with five dying in shootings over the past week, Andrews said. Police have seized nearly 200 guns in the community, she added.
The new unit comes as the department seeks to bolster its gun violence response.
“We centralized our violent crime unit in an effort to focus on shooting cases,” Andrews said. “However, despite their tireless work, we realize that this effort alone is not enough.”
The secondary unit will work with crime analysis and intelligence units to focus on areas most affected by gun violence, Andrews said.
Two killed in Tuesday night shootings
The first fatal shooting on Tuesday occurred around 9:15 p.m. near the intersection of Holloway Street and North Alston Avenue, just east of downtown Durham, police said.
Investigators believe that a man on a scooter shot another a man and a teenage boy, fleeing the scene before officers arrived.
At the Wednesday news conference, Andrews said the shooting appeared to have been a road rage incident.
Officers found both victims inside of a wrecked vehicle near Alston Avenue and Juniper Street, police said. Officers said the victims drove a few blocks after being shot, eventually crashing.
Both victims were taken to a hospital, where the man died. Police identified him Monday as Jose Cabrera, 19, of Durham.
The teenager was in stable condition as of Wednesday morning, police said.
No charges have been filed as of April 18.
The second shooting took place just before 10 p.m. in the 500 block of West Carver Street.
A woman answered the door and was fatally shot, Andrews said. Police identified her as Karla Yadira Jaramillo Noyola, 31, of Durham.
Police have not determined whether the shooting was targeted or random. No charges have been filed as of April 18.
Both investigations remain ongoing and no charges have been filed in either shooting.
Police have asked those with information about the Tuesday shootings to call investigators at 919-560-4440, ext. 29306 (North Alston Avenue shooting) or ext. 29238 (West Carver Street shooting). People with information are also asked to call CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
Three others killed in Durham in past week
Andrews provided updates on other recent shootings at the Wednesday news conference.
On April 8, a suspect barricaded himself inside an apartment on Avon Lake Drive for hours after allegedly killing one person and injuring another, The News & Observer reported.
Erick Ray Hudson, 26, was later arrested and charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
“This was a person in crisis,” Andrews said, noting that three rifles, five handguns and “an assortment of ammunition” were seized from the residence.
Emily Montes de Oca, 22, was killed in the shooting while a 27-year-old man was injured, The N&O reported.
Montes de Oca and the injured man were engaged, Andrews said Wednesday.
The shooting was not random, she added.
The next day, April 9, two shootings left two dead and four others injured.
Daniel Slack, 22, was killed in a shooting on Auto Drive, an area just behind the South Square shopping center on U.S. 15-501, near a night club and several restaurants, The N&O reported.
That shooting, which injured two others, came in retaliation to a prior incident, Andrews said.
She did not provide details on what occurred in the previous incident, but said no gang affiliation has been identified in connection to the case.
“Investigators have worked extremely hard on that case to develop a person of interest,” she said.
The other April 9 shooting happened after a black BMW and a white SUV pulled into a parking lot off of Woodcraft Parkway, she said.
The occupants of the SUV fired shots at those inside the BMW, killing 21-year-old Tylen Wesley Baldwin and injuring two others.
The two surviving victims have known gang affiliations, and a rifle was seized from the BMW, she said.
A total of 61 shell casings were recovered at the scene and police have determined a person of interest, Andrews added.
Andrews urged community members with information about recent shootings to come forward and speak to police.
“We need tips, we need information,” she said. “You live in this community too. You want the police department to do something, but you also have to be willing to take that step.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 8:33 AM.