Police say suspect in South Carolina killed 62-year-old Durham man in March
Durham police announced an arrest Friday in the fatal shooting of a 62-year-old man in March after the suspect was arrested in South Carolina.
Willie James Smith Jr., 53, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Hironori T. James, of Durham. .
Officers responded to a shooting in the 2800 block of Crest Street on March 31 and found James, who was pronounced dead on the scene.
Smith was taken into custody by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina on Thursday. He is being held in South Carolina on an unrelated murder charge.
James was a father and minister, served three years in the U.S. Army and attended Jordan High School, according to an online obituary. He is survived by a son and 11 grandchildren.
In July 2020, Durham police found a 23-year-old man with a gunshot wound on the same Crest Street block where James died this year, The News & Observer previously reported.
Durham homicides up
There were 20 homicides in Durham this year as of June 4, according to the Police Department’s website. That was up from 19 homicides and 12 homicides by the same dates the previous two years.
Last month, Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews told the City Council that police had solved only one homicide in the first three months of 2022.
Anyone with information about the March 31 homicide is asked to call 919-560-4440, ext. 29120 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.
CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 3:00 PM.
