No weapons found as Hillside High in Durham placed on secure status for second day
A day after a shooting near Hillside High School that killed a 17-year-old student, the school was placed on “secure status” for the second day in a row as investigators looked for weapons reported nearby.
At 2:08 p.m. Thursday, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said no weapons were found.
But the incident brought a swarm of law enforcement officers near the school again, rattling a campus already on edge.
At 1:34 p.m., Durham police tweeted that they were investigating an anonymous tip from the Sheriff’s Office about weapons found in the woods near the campus on Fayetteville Road.
By 2 p.m., the school was taken off of secure status, which is a step below lockdown. When a school is on secure status, students and staff can walk around in the building, but no one can enter or exit.
On Wednesday, two Hillside High students, ages 15 and 17, were shot near the American Tobacco Trail in Durham shortly after 1 p.m. Both teenagers were taken to the hospital, where the older student died. Their names have not been released due to their ages.
“We’re devastated, to say the least,” Hillside Principal William Logan told The News & Observer. “I just knew him to be a respectful young man who didn’t really have any major issues in his three-and-a-half years here. He was on track to graduate this year.”
Tiffany Swoope met the boy through a mentoring program at Weaver Street Recreation Center.
“He was a young man who had hopes, who had dreams. He had a goal of owning his own trucking company by the time he was 25. Immediately after finishing high school, he wanted to go to barbering school just to start his pathway into entrepreneurship,” Swoope said.
Lt. Quincey Tait told The N&O she did not know whether Thursday’s search was connected to Wednesday’s shooting.
But she said police do not think the shooting was random.
A Durham Public Schools spokesperson said, as far as he knew, Thursday’s search for weapons didn’t involve students.
Community reacts to shooting
Mayor Elaine O’Neal briefly spoke about Wednesday’s shooting at the start of Thursday afternoon’s City Council work session.
“My heart is really heavy,” she said. “I just ask we take a moment to think about what happened yesterday, what is currently happening right now.”
DPS Superintendent Pascal Mubenga said he was “heartsick” about the death of a Durham student.
“His family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers — but we need more than thoughts and prayers,” Mubenga said. “Our students are clamoring for an end to gun violence, and our community must come together to deliver it.”
Logan echoed the call on Friday.
“Come to the table and problem solve,” he urged the community. “I think we have enough intelligence to come up with something that’s viable and implementable and affordable that could make a difference. But in the absence of that, I think we’ll just keep sending thoughts and prayers when these things happen and and that’s not enough. You know, they are appreciated, but it’s not enough.”
Davion White, a junior at Hillside High School, said counselors were made available to his classmates at school on Thursday. But that may not have been enough for some students.
“A lot of people were talking about ... that school shouldn’t have been on today,” White said Thursday after classes ended.
White said gun violence is common in Durham.
“It happens, I’ve seen it a lot,” he said. “It’s just sad that it happens so close to where people come to learn.
“But, I feel like you can’t let certain things stop you from progressing,” White said. “I feel like Hillside really helps Black people as a progressive race push forward. Something like this, a tragedy like this, I don’t think that it should stop us from pushing forward as a people.”
Shootings down in Durham
Wednesday’s fatal shooting was the second in Durham this week, after police said 38-year-old Gregory Newsome was fatally shot Sunday east of downtown.
Shootings in Durham declined last year, with 247 people shot, 41 of them fatally, according to police statistics.
Those numbers were down from 278 people shot with 44 fatalities in 2021.
At Thursday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton and other council members shared their condolences upon the most recent death.
“With all of the accolades and attention that Durham gets, as long as our kids are killing each other, it will always be a muted celebration,” he said.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts may be unclear and details may change as the story develops. Our reporters are working to get information as quickly and accurately as possible. This story may be updated as more information becomes available. Refresh this page for the most up-to-date report.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 1:48 PM.
