Raleigh police shoot and kill man who fired at officers near middle school, police say
Raleigh police officers shot and killed a man they say was firing at officers and cars near Ligon Magnet Middle School on Monday morning.
The shooting occurred around 7 a.m. in the 700 block of Cumberland Street, just east of downtown.
Police Chief Estella Patterson said the suspect shot two occupied cars and two police cars, according to media outlets.
Two officers fired back, striking the gunman who later died at a hospital. Police have not released his name.
Neighbor says gunfire common
Roughly a dozen police vehicles were at the intersection of Coleman and Hightower streets, a few blocks off Rock Quarry Road, near both Ligon Middle School and Hunter Elementary. The State Bureau of Investigation was also present.
Officers went door to door in the surrounding neighborhood. Like much of Southeast Raleigh inside the I-440 Beltline, the neighborhood has aging single-family homes and duplexes with large modernist houses filling in over the last few years.
One neighbor in Coleman Street, who asked not to be identified, said gunfire is common enough in the area that it didn’t rouse his family Monday morning. He pointed out bullet holes in a truck next door, still remaining from stray gunfire “not too long ago.”
Principal notifies parents
No shots were fired at Ligon Middle School, police said in a release.
Principal Gary Duvall sent this statement to parents, reported ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner.
“At approximately 7 a.m., we were made aware of police activity occurring in a community adjacent to our campus and we went into Code Yellow. Our school entered Code Green at 7:25 a.m.
“In a community lockdown, all exterior doors of the school are locked and no one is allowed to enter or exit the building. Students are permitted to move between classrooms and the school operates “business as usual” with the exception of no outside activities. Because the Code Yellow lockdown corresponded with morning arrival, students who had not yet entered the school remained in cars and on buses until law enforcement provided the all clear and we moved back into Code Green at 7:25 a.m.”
This is at least the third instance of shots fired near a school in the Triangle this year.
On Feb. 6, two students were shot near Hillside High in Durham during the school day. A 17-year-old boy died.
On Wednesday, three 16-year-old boys were shot near Brogden Middle School in Durham. Two died, and an 18-year-old was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREOn the phrase "officer-involved shooting"
Law enforcement agencies often use the phrase “officer-involved shooting” in situations where an officer fires their weapon. But initial reports from police often aren’t clear about who shot whom. Our reporters are working to clarify the facts of the situation as quickly and accurately as possible, and will update this story as soon as we have confirmed details about the shooting.
This story was originally published March 27, 2023 at 8:51 AM.