Court records: Man arrested on murder charge in East Durham shooting. What we know
Durham police arrested a man Thursday in a fatal shooting from earlier this month, court records show.
Derrick Lamont Earls, 26, of Durham is charged with murder in the March 1 death of Monteith Lowery, 27, according to the arrest warrant.
Police were called to the 600 block of Ellis Road about 5 a.m. that day and discovered the injured Lowery, The News & Observer previously reported. He later died at the hospital.
Court records provided no other details on the killing, and police haven’t released information on a potential motive.
Earls faces a number of other charges in Durham County, court records show. In addition to his murder charge, he was also arrested Thursday on the following unrelated charges:
- First-degree burglary, robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking/entering to terrorize or injure, misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and two counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and assault by pointing a gun tied to an Aug. 25 incident in Durham.
- Breaking/entering to terrorize or injure from a Sept. 13 incident in Durham.
- Misdemeanor probation violation tied to a 2023 conviction on a charge of carrying a concealed gun in Durham.
Earls also has pending charges of identity theft from June 2024 and communicating threats from August 2023, both in Durham County, court records show.
Lowery is survived by his parents, fiancée, two sons, eight siblings and a number of extended family members, his obituary states.
The shooting apparently stemmed from an altercation at a nightclub, according to Lowery’s autopsy report.
Earls remained in the Durham County jail as of Friday morning without bail, according to court records.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 9:48 AM.
