Man fatally shot south of downtown Durham, city’s 2nd homicide of weekend

Durham police are investigating a fatal shooting south of downtown that occurred Sunday night.

Officers dispatched just before 10 p.m. to East Umstead Street found 48-year-old Ottoniel Lopez-Diaz of Durham with a gunshot wound and a second man with other, unspecified injuries.

Emergency Medical Services took both men to a local hospital, where Lopez-Diaz died, according to a news release.

As of Monday morning, police have not released further details except to note the other man was not shot.

It was the second fatal shooting in Durham over the weekend.

On Saturday morning, police found 27-year-old Monteith Lowery of Roxboro with a gunshot wound on Ellis Road.. EMS workers took him to the hospital, where he also died.

As of Feb. 15, 22 people had been shot in Durham this year, four of them fatally, police statistics show.

Anyone with any information can call Investigator M. Judy at 919-560-4440 ext. 29252. Submit a CrimeStoppers tip online at durhamcrimestoppers.org or by calling 919-683-1200.

CrimeStoppers pays up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases, and callers never have to identify themselves.

This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 7:52 AM.