Warrants: Teen killed in gun sale gone wrong near Hillside High School in Durham

Police believe the Hillside High School student killed in February on the American Tobacco Trail was with a group trying to rob another teenager.

2023-06-26

Search warrants obtained on Monday by WRAL News outline the theory of the case.

On Feb. 8, 17-year-old Anthony Feaster was shot and killed on the trail near the high school campus, according to warrants. A 15-year-old boy, also a Hillside student, was injured in the shooting.

Police searched the two boys' phones and the Instagram accounts of four others to determine the incident stemmed from a weapons sale gone wrong between two parties.

According to documents obtained by WRAL News, Feaster and three friends agreed to meet up with two others to buy a gun from them on the American Tobacco Trail.

Feaster's friends told police they planned to rob the other group selling the gun.

According to documents, when both groups met, Feaster pulled out a gun and pointed it at the other group. He was killed when a young person from the other group returned fire.

Durham defense attorney Daniel Meier spoke to WRAL News about the case, including who can be charged.

"It really is going to break down to what is the evidence they have, do they really have the people identified, do they have the story straight? It's not uncommon for these things to take months to go through," Meier said.

Meier said, under North Carolina law, people committing a felony like robbery give up the right to self defense.

"They were the ones doing the robbing, so they can't claim self defense," he said. "If they pulled out a weapon and the other person shot, that's probably what they're trying to sort out."

As of June 26, the Durham District Attorney's Office was not pursuing charges against anyone involved in the incident. Durham police told WRAL News that their investigation is still open and active.

Durham schools Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga said, "I am heartsick about the loss of one of our students. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers—but we need more than thoughts and prayers. Our students are clamoring for an end to gun violence and our community must come together to deliver it."

In January 2023, there were nine shootings reported within a two-mile radius of the location, according to shooting incident data received through a public records request.