Authorities have filed petitions for four juveniles to face charges in the case of a Hillside High School student shot and killed on the American Tobacco Trail.

In June 2023, juvenile petitions were filed for four juveniles in connection to the Feb. 8 homicide that happened on Riddle Road near Fayetteville Street.

Other WRAL Top Stories

Four juveniles were taken into custody, according to Durham police:

  • 16-year-old boy for possession of handgun by a minor; possession of a weapon on educational property
    • 15-year-old boy for possession of handgun by a minor; possession of a weapon on educational property
      • 17-year-old boy for robbery with a dangerous weapon
        • 15-year-old boy for robbery with a dangerous weapon

          None of them were charged with murder.

          911 calls from the day of the shooting described the scene as one that escalated very quickly.

          “At first, it was like, two gunshots and then it was like multiple … on and off … it was like a ton,” a 911 caller said.

          The caller reported hearing at least 10 gunshots.

          “I didn’t see the weapon description,” the caller said. “We just heard it, and then, they put it in their jacket.”

          Warrants show Anthony Feaster was shot and killed on the trail near the high school campus. Feaster was 17.

          A 15-year-old boy, also a Hillside student, was injured in the shooting.

          Students had remote learning the day after Feasler's death. Some students later that month put on a play protest gun violence in the city and advocate for safety at the school.

          Each performance was followed by a discussion, hosted by former Hillside drama teacher Wendell Tabb, who wrote the play "State of Urgency," and Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead, about the issues it raised.

          "We need to reach our kids because the offenders are getting younger, the victims are getting younger," Birkhead said. "I think this play will be a good catalyst to have those conversations about what is going on, and what can we do to help."

          The group of students in April had a private meeting with state leaders in Raleigh to discussing how best to tackle school safety and gun violence following the play.

          Feaster's mother, Brianna Walker, said she is satisfied with the charges and added that it's an unfortunate situation for all involved.

          "If those charges are what detective told me are the true charges, [then] I'm okay with that," Walker said. "I pray for all of them. I hope it's a lesson with all of this. All of them are juveniles; they have a life to live. This is not life."

          Durham police believe Feaster was with a group trying to rob another teenager.

          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.

          Police don't anticipate any further charges at this point, but the case remains under investigation.