A new search warrant shows at least five shootings in Durham were retaliatory, after another murder.
In that document, Durham Police say a murder in February at a Durham Housing Authority complex spurred retaliatory shootings over the span of seven months, killing two adults and injuring three children and teenagers.
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This comes as Durham leaders prepare to implement violence reduction strategies.
The warrant was executed on September 2nd at an apartment in the Cornwallis Road Housing complex, owned by the Durham Housing Authority. Durham Police found 15 cell phones, 9 guns, firearm magazines and ammunition, and suspected drugs.
According to the warrant, police are investigating a series of shootings, starting with a man killed on February 12th at the housing complex. The warrant identifies him as “J. Bostic.”
Three days later, two people under the age of 18 were shot and injured in the same complex; Durham Police say in the warrant they were told this was in retaliation for the first murder.
Then, on June 11th, Zamir Browder was charged with the murder of Jalen Perry at a gas station up the street from the DHA property.
The warrant says both lived in the complex, had "documented affiliation with street gang activity," and were rivals.
Later that same day, a child was grazed by a bullet at the complex, and Police say in the warrant they were told that the shooting incident was retaliation for Perry's murder.
On August 3rd, Durham Police dispatched officers for the sound of gunfire at the housing complex.
No one was injured, but less than two hours later on August 4th, they were dispatched again for the homicide of Khamareon Parker.
In the warrant, Police say he had the same documented gang involvement as the June murder suspect, Zamir Browder.
In the case of Parker’s death, Durham Police found more than 100 shell casings.
The warrant says they linked some of those to the earlier February and June shootings.
Data from Durham's Violence Reduction Summit shows groups and gangs contribute disproportionately to violence.
52 percent of homicides and 32 percent of nonfatal shootings involved group or gang members.
Despite those percentages, the data also shows the estimated membership of 430 to 685 individuals in groups and gangs only accounts for 0.2% of Durham’s population. According to the presentation given to County Commissioners on Tuesday, this means “violence concentrates among a very small number of people.”
Both the City of Durham and Durham County passed resolutions related to the Violence Reduction Summit working group’s recommendations this week.
“At this point, staff will take those recommendations and begin the actual work plan. So, we have the recommendations. We have to now put a work plan with that, and the work plan will define what the price tag will be, and we have to then vote on it to make it official policy with funding behind it,” Mayor Leonardo Williams explained.
He acknowledged the issue of gangs in an interview with WRAL Thursday.
“There is a small portion of the population that's doing a significantly outsized portion of the violent crime in Durham,” Williams said. “We want to provide an option for people to better their lives, better their decision-making, so that balance problem will actually reduce. But what's going to happen is, it's going to get to that point of that very small population or percentage of people who are continuing this, and we're going to have to remove them from our streets.”
Residents attended both the County Commission and City Council meetings this week, pushing leaders to act quickly.
Williams agreed with the need for faster action.
“We're moving with a sense of urgency on this. It's not fast enough for me, but it's taken a long time to get here,” Williams said. “I do want the community to know that the work that we're doing is with community voices at the forefront.”
WRAL reached out to the Durham Housing Authority to ask what security measures are in place at this property, if any additional measures are on the way, and if DHA is in contact with DPD about increased patrols at Cornwallis Road.
In a statement, a DHA spokesperson wrote, “The safety and wellbeing of DHA residents and employees will always be a top priority. The gun violence in our city has directly impacted most, if not all of our DHA communities, as well as our staff who serve them. At Cornwallis Road, poles were installed this week to support 15 new security cameras. We anticipate that the cameras will be operational by next week.”
That spokesperson also says new floodlights will be installed next week, writing, “With our inherent resource challenges, we will continue to advocate for and seek additional strategies, partnerships and resources to assist in the ongoing challenge to alleviate crime and push for the safety of all DHA community members and surrounding neighbors in Durham.”