Durham police chief gets threatening letter with slurs, powder inside, police say
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham police chief received a threat letter with non-harmful powder inside.
- Chief Andrews’ Facebook post on Charlie Kirk sparked backlash and a petition.
- Durham mayor defended Andrews' free speech during Sept. 15 city council meeting.
Police are investigating after Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews opened a threatening letter containing racial slurs and a powdery substance inside Tuesday morning.
Andrews received the letter at 7:15 a.m., police said. The Durham Fire Department tested the substance, which did not test positive for anything harmful. Police said the letter contained racial slurs but did not provide further details on its contents.
Andrews received backlash when she posted comments on Facebook critical of Charlie Kirk after the conservative activist was shot and killed Sept. 10.
Andrews said she was outraged at those who honored a man “who disguised himself as a Christian, shamed Black women like me, believed that gun violence was necessary to preserve the [Second] Amendment and created a culture of divisiveness through hate speech.”
Andrews has since deleted the post but has not publicly commented on it. A petition calling for her resignation has received over 2,000 signatures, The News & Observer reported.
The Police Department said Sept. 15 it would review the post to see if it broke any policies. City of Durham spokesperson Amy Blalock said the city completed its review but would not provide details since the review was a “personnel matter.”
Andrews has been Durham’s police chief since 2021. She previously worked as Morrisville’s police chief and has over 25 years of law enforcement experience. She is the second Black woman to lead the Durham department.
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams publicly supported Andrews at a City Council meeting on Sept. 15.
“I think it’s important that we realize that silence for what’s right is also damaging. It’s important that we speak up for what’s right,” Williams said. “The First Amendment, freedom of speech, is accessible to us all, whether we like each other or not. It is for all of us. ... You cannot be selectively outraged and try to determine who gets access to that or not.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Durham police chief gets threatening letter with slurs, powder inside, police say."
.jpg)