‘It is not fair,’ says nephew of NC woman, 74, killed by July 4th celebratory gunfire
Family members of a 74-year-old mother of five who was killed by celebratory gunfire on Independence Day are grappling with the tragic and unexpected death, the woman’s nephew said Monday.
“I still don’t believe it. I think we are all still shocked,” said Carlos Lyons, the nephew of Paulette Thorpe. “It is just tragic and frustrating that somebody is walking around with a gun, and we are walking around planning a funeral. It is not fair.”
Thorpe was sitting on a friend’s porch when she was struck by a bullet, Lyons said.
The bullet struck her around 11 p.m. Saturday on Burlington Avenue in Durham, according to police. She died soon after being taken to the hospital.
Michael Peaks told CBS17 that he was talking to Thorpe Saturday night when something hit her in the chest.
“We thought it was a bug or something. She jumped and said, ‘Damn! Something just bit me,’” Peaks said.
Neighbors told CBS17 that Thorpe kept to herself, but was very friendly and always well-dressed.
Thorpe, who left behind multiple grandchildren and nieces and nephews, was a retired nurse who was always willing to help friends and relatives and was a joy to be around, said Lyons.
She loved God, her family and she always tried to live life to the fullest, he said.
“She was one of the matriarchs of my family; to see her gone, it is just sad,” Lyons, 44, said. “We shouldn’t be in this situation, not over someone shooting a gun in the air in the city. You shouldn’t do that in the city limits.”
Thorpe lived less than a block from the home where she was shot.
The News & Observer asked the Durham Police Department about its investigation and whether it planned to charge someone, but the agency didn’t respond as of 5 p.m.
Durham police chief calls shooting ‘senseless act’
On Sunday morning, Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis said while most people celebrated peacefully, a few chose to put the community at risk by firing guns into the air.
“Ms. Thorpe’s death reminds us that we as a community must work together to prevent these senseless acts, so that no family suffers such a tragedy ever again,” Davis said in a statement.
As of the week ending June 27, violent crime in Durham was up 15% compared to the same time last year, including a 37% increase in aggravated assaults involving a firearm, according to the Police Department .
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 919-560-4440 ext. 29529 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 5:39 PM with the headline "‘It is not fair,’ says nephew of NC woman, 74, killed by July 4th celebratory gunfire."
