17-year-old killed Thursday was 18th juvenile shot in Durham this year, police say

Durham police said Friday a young man killed in the eastern part of the city Thursday afternoon was 17 years old.

Statistics provided upon a request from The News & Observer show the teen was the 18th juvenile shot in the city so far this year.

Four of those juveniles, including Thursday’s victim, were killed.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m. Thursday, officers found a male who had been shot near the 700 block of Carter Avenue. Medical personnel arrived and declared him dead, police said.

Carter Avenue, between Rowena Avenue and Spring Street, was closed as police investigated what they initially called a “suspicious death.”

Police have not released the young man’s name or other details.

Neighbors on Thursday told ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner, the person killed was a teenager.

“It’s really heart-wrenching, especially since it happened so close to where I live,” said Zuri Muhammad, who has lived in the neighborhood for almost 20 years.

“And also, there was another shooting that happened near Hillside a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “So it was shocking to see that. Yes, you hear about it, but you never think that it would happen to you, or close to you until it happens.”

As of April 1, there had been 50 people shot in Durham this year, 12 of them fatally, according to police statistics.

There were 24 juveniles shot either fatally or non-fatally in Durham in 2022, according to police statistics. Of those, 17 were 16 or 17 years old.

The 18 juveniles shot in Durham so far this year

▪ Two were 12 years old

▪ Two were 14 years old

▪ Four were 15 years old

▪ Five were 16 years old (includes two fatal shootings)

▪ Five were 17 years old (includes two fatal shootings)

As far as juveniles charged in shootings, police said there have been four so far this year.

This includes a 17-year-old and two 15-year-olds who were recently charged in a March 14 fatal shooting on Hillsborough Road, and a 17-year-old charged in a non-fatal shooting that occurred on Britt Street on Jan. 3.

Anyone with information about Thursday’s shooting is asked to call Investigator J. Berkstresser at 919-560-4440 extension 29538 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 5:07 PM with the headline "17-year-old killed Thursday was 18th juvenile shot in Durham this year, police say."