NC medical examiner’s office can’t determine who shot teen at Durham police HQ
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Autopsy indicates Joshua Farmer died from two close-range gunshot wounds to neck.
- Medical examiner unable to determine who fired gun during struggle at police HQ.
- State Bureau of Investigation continues probe; DA to decide on charges.
Almost two months after a Durham teenager was fatally shot while in custody at police headquarters, a newly released autopsy report indicates investigators aren’t certain what occurred.
Joshua Farmer, 19, was killed May 14 after allegedly lunging for and obtaining an officer’s gun while in custody, The News & Observer previously reported. Farmer had been brought to the police department’s downtown headquarters for questioning in a May 9 fatal shooting on Dayton Street, which had left a juvenile dead, according to a news release.
The shooting at police headquarters occurred just before 6 p.m. In the minutes before the struggle, Farmer had been allowed to go to the bathroom, accompanied by officers, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s investigative report.
“In the hallway after [Farmer] used the bathroom he was being switched out of one set of handcuffs and placed into [a] second set of handcuffs by a transport officer when he lunged for the service weapon of one of the officers standing near him,” the report states.
Farmer and three nearby officers fell to the ground as they fought for control of the 9 mm handgun, and two shots rang out, according to the report. Farmer was then seen bleeding from the neck and head, and officers began lifesaving efforts as they waited for EMS to arrive, the report states. Farmer died at 6:12 p.m. at the hospital.
Farmer’s cause of death was two gunshot wounds to the neck, his autopsy report states. Both injuries had soot, indicating the gun had been fired at close range, and there was evidence of a possible muzzle imprint on one entrance wound, according to the report.
But in the chaos of the fight, investigators could not determine who fired the deadly shots, the report says.
“Per information from the SBI, it was unclear from video who, if anyone, had control of the weapon at the time the shots were fired, as all involved were in a pile on the floor when they occurred,” the report states.
The medical examiner wrote it was possible Farmer intentionally or accidentally shot himself or that an officer shot him during the struggle. Ultimately, the manner of his death could not be determined.
Those who’d interviewed Farmer told investigators he didn’t exhibit any odd behavior while in custody. However, as Farmer battled with officers for the handgun, multiple witnesses reported hearing him quietly state, “Just shoot me,” according to the investigative report.
The State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a probe into the incident, as is standard in all shootings involving law enforcement in North Carolina. The final decision whether to charge any of the officers involved rests with Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry.
This story was originally published July 4, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
