Was Durham New Year’s Eve murder retaliation? What new search warrant reveals
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Police say Kaheem Jackson told them his brother was killed Dec. 27.
- Hunt killed Jackson's brother in self-defense; 4 days later, Jackson allegedly shot Hunt.
- Police say Jackson bought the gold 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt on Dec. 30, 2025 for $750.
The last week of 2025, Durham police investigators determined Lawrence Hunt Jr. killed a man in self-defense in front of a tobacco shop on North Miami Boulevard, according to a newly released search warrant.
Three days later, on New Year’s Eve, the man’s brother killed Hunt, the search warrant alleged.
Kaheem Shylik Jackson, 25, is accused of killing Hunt, 23. He was charged with murder and felony conspiracy on April 9, The News & Observer previously reported. Durham police are still looking for Jackson’s accomplice.
What police say happened
Around 10 a.m. Dec. 31, surveillance video showed two men in all black with black balaclavas covering their faces exiting a gold 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt near a bus stop on Raynor Street, according to the search warrant. Photos attached to the warrant show a bus stopped where Hunt and his friend were standing.
The men shot Hunt repeatedly, while his friend got away to a nearby store, according to the search warrant. Police found 13 bullet casings at the scene. The men hopped back into the Cobalt and fled.
On Jan. 1, Durham police got a tip that Jackson was one of the men involved, according to the search warrant. Police took him into custody Jan. 8 and served him with warrants for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and felony conspiracy — though court records show those charges were related to a different homicide, The N&O previously reported.
Jackson told police his brother was killed on Dec. 27, 2025, according to the search warrant.
Investigators arrested Hunt but determined he had killed Jackson’s brother in self-defense. Police released him from custody on Dec. 28, 2025.
Durham police seized Jackson’s iPhone, finding that he had bought a gold Chevrolet Cobalt for $750 on Facebook Marketplace on Dec. 30, 2025, the night before Hunt’s murder, according to the warrant. Surveillance video from a Food Lion parking lot confirmed the sale.
A detective wrote that the damage on the Cobalt that Jackson bought appeared to match the damage on the car caught on the homicide surveillance video.
After posting a $100,000 bond on Jan. 20, Jackson was arrested again in April. As of Wednesday, he was being held without bail.
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