2 weeks later, Durham police release name of a man fatally shot at headquarters
Two weeks after a 19-year-old in custody was fatally shot at police headquarters, the Durham Police Department provided two new details in the case Thursday.
Joshua Farmer was killed May 14 after he “lunged” for and obtained “full control” of an officer’s gun while he was being transferred to the jail from the headquarters in downtown Durham, Chief Patrice Andrews previously said.
The State Bureau of Investigation, which reviews shootings by law enforcement in North Carolina, released Farmer’s name the next day, but the Police Department would not confirm his identity until Thursday.
Farmer had been charged with murder in a fatal shooting that killed a juvenile and injured an adult, the department said Thursday. Police had previously not responded to The News & Observer’s questions about which case Farmer was suspected in.
A 17-year-old was also arrested last week in that shooting, which occurred about 8:30 p.m. May 9 in the 1200 block of Dayton Street, The N&O previously reported.
Court records show Farmer had several pending charges in Durham County, including:
- Charges of injury to real property and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in a July 15, 2023, incident. Farmer posted $25,000 bail in June 2024 on those charges.
- A charge of communicating threats in a Jan. 30 incident where he threatened to slash a woman’s tires, beat her up “and shoot her up with his AR,” according to the arrest warrant. Farmer was released without posting bail.
- Charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, robbery with a dangerous weapon and larceny of a firearm in a July 25, 2023, incident. Farmer posted a $25,000 secured bond in June 2024 on these charges after his bail was reduced from $200,000.
Farmer had also pleaded guilty in Mecklenburg County in August 2024 to a charge of carrying a concealed gun, court records show. He was on electronic monitoring for his Durham County charges at the time of his arrest.
The SBI and the Durham Police Department’s Professional Standards Division are investigating Farmer’s death.
