Police name drivers in fatal wreck near downtown Durham

Police have released the names of the drivers in a collision last week that killed a 27-year-old man and has left a 23-year-old woman in the hospital.

The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Thursday when a silver Ford Focus, headed north in the right lane of North Duke Street, swerved in front and hit a northbound Buick Enclave near Minerva Avenue, according to police.

Gabriel Dashon Melton Jr., 27, was driving the Ford Focus, according to Durham Police Department spokeswoman Kammie Michael.

Rahnesha Denise Dozier, 23, was driving the Buick Enclave and remains hospitalized, Michael wrote in an email Monday morning.

The accident remains under investigation.

The crash occurred just north of the Durham School of the Arts.

The collision caused the Buick, which was in the left lane of North Duke Street, to hit a utility pole, and pushed the side of the Ford Focus into a tree. The occupants of the Ford Focus were trapped in the vehicle and were extricated by the Durham Fire Department, police said.

Melton was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The Buick was reported stolen earlier last week.

This story was originally published July 9, 2018 at 11:49 AM.