Two people died in Durham Saturday in separate incidents. Police ask for info
Police in Durham are investigating two deaths that occurred on Saturday: one a shooting and the other a car crash that may have been related to a shooting.
Early Saturday morning crash
In the first, Durham Police responded to a report of a shooting in the 500 block of Lodestone Drive at 1:36. a.m. Saturday, Dec. 27. Officers found evidence of a shooting but no injured people at the scene, the department said.
Shortly after, Durham Police and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle crash in the 3400 block of Wake Forest Highway. The driver of the vehicle, 43-year-old Darryl Whitley of Durham, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Durham police said Tuesday the two incidents were connected but didn’t provide further details.
Saturday night shooting
In a second incident, Durham Police responded to a shooting in the 1000 block of North Miami Boulevard at 8:20 p.m. Saturday.
Officers found Malik Whitley Jr., 28, of Durham shot at the scene. Whitley was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
Officers are questioning a person in connection with that shooting, police said Sunday afternoon.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact Investigator J. Justice at 919-560-4440 ext. 29119. Information also can be submitted anonymously through CrimeStoppers at durhamcrimestoppers.org or by calling (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.
As of Dec. 27, a total of 170 people had been shot in Durham this year, 28 of them fatally, according to police statistics.
That was down from 218 people shot by the same time last year, when 33 of them died from their injuries, statistics show.
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 2:26 PM.
