Police identify man killed in Chapel Hill shooting. 3 injured expected to survive

A 51-year-old man was fatally shot and three other people were injured Tuesday after shots were fired at an apartment complex near downtown Chapel Hill, police said.

Wednesday, police identified the man killed as Michael D. Lee, of Chapel Hill and said they are investigating his death as a homicide, according to a news release.

Two people suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to UNC Hospitals for treatment, police said. A fourth person also was injured, but police did not say what caused that person’s injuries.

All three are expected to survive, police said Wednesday.

Officers responded to the call of multiple gunshots being fired at 6:18 p.m. on Sept. 27 in the 800 block of Pritchard Avenue Extension, near Umstead Drive, the release said.

Around 9 p.m., a white tent had been erected in the parking lot of the University Gardens apartment complex’s upper level. Neighbors watched from behind the police tape keeping them from the crime scene.

Police did not say anything about a suspect or suspects.

The department received 19 911 calls about the shooting on Sept. 27. In the recordings released this week, some callers identified the suspected shooter who wore a black shirt and was seen walking around the complex after the shooting.

One caller said Lee was lying in the middle of the parking lot beside the building after he was shot. Another said they heard more than 10 gunshots.

Second shooting at complex

It was the second shooting at the University Gardens complex in the last month.

On Aug. 25, police found 19-year-old Rahzel Tyreek Jenkins at the complex with gunshot wounds. Jenkins died at UNC Hospitals.

A Chapel Hill man, 22-year-old Anthony Wuanya Holman turned himself in to police a few days later and was charged with first-degree murder. Holman is being held in the Orange County jail without bail.

In his first court hearing on Aug. 29, Holman told District Court Judge C. Todd Roper that the shooting “was self-defense.” He could face life in prison or death if convicted of the first-degree murder charge.

Jenkins’ death was the fourth homicide in Chapel Hill since January, according to the Chapel Hill Police Department. In 2021, there was one homicide and in 2020, there were none.

Increase in service calls to complex

The number of calls for police service to University Gardens this year — 45 — has already surpassed the number of calls made in each of the previous two years.

This year’s calls include 13 calls about a disturbance or nuisance, six calls for public service, five calls about weapons or firearms, four about a suspicious or unwanted call, and two calls for trespassing, according to data requested by The News & Observer.

In 2021, police received only 25 calls for service, while in 2020 they received 41 calls. for service.

Call categories are based on a classification system used by Orange County Communications, according to police spokesperson Alex Carrasquillo. Calls for weapons or firearms can range from actual gunfire to what sounds like gunfire but could be fireworks, he said in an email.

“Each call is investigated, and the outcome may not reflect the original reporting person’s depictions of events,” Carrasquillo said.

Anyone with information about Tuesday’s shooting can call 911 or Orange County Communications’ non-emergency number at 919-732-5063. Callers also can leave anonymous tips with Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crimestoppers at 919-942-7515.

Jessica Banov contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Police identify man killed in Chapel Hill shooting. 3 injured expected to survive."

Tammy Grubb

The News & Observer

919-829-8926

Tammy Grubb has written about Orange County’s politics, people and government since 2010. She is a UNC-Chapel Hill alumna and has lived and worked in the Triangle for over 30 years.