Police ID man, 22, found shot to death inside a car in southern Durham

Durham police are investigating after a man was found fatally shot in a car Monday night in southern Durham.

Officers were responding to a call around 9 p.m. near the intersection of Courtland Drive and Brighton Road in the Hope Valley area when a nearby gunshots call came in.

Emergency Medical Services workers found 22-year-old John Edward Riggins II of Durham inside a vehicle. He had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene.

As of Tuesday afternoon, police have provided no information about a possible suspect or motive in the homicide.

As of April 5, 33 people had been shot in Durham this year, six of them fatally, the latest police statistics show.

That compares to 42 people shot by the same time last year, when six people also had been killed.

Anyone with any information about Monday’s shooting is asked to call Investigator A. Junker at 919-560-4935 ext. 29416.

You can also submit a CrimeStoppers tip at durhamcrimestoppers.org or call 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases. and callers never have to identify themselves.

This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 8:24 AM.