Community outreach programs cited by Durham leaders as key to 'taking ownership' of crime problem

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Durham leaders spoke Wednesday to show a unified response to a string of gun violence over the past several days.

"We wanted to make sure we are present and that we are aware of some of the recent events in our community, and to ensure that we are sticking together firmly as the city, county, school board, and not only are we aware but also to ensure that we're staying together as we respond," Mayor Leo Williams said.

Durham has been racked with five shootings since Saturday. A total of eight people have been victims in those shootings, including three people who died.

"This is a moment for us to make sure we're letting community know we're listening and to ensure that the expectations are properly managed," Williams said.

Williams said he and other city leaders are painfully aware of crime happening in the city. He said leaders could not control individual acts of violence, but that they could control how the city responds and helps people make better choices.

He pointed to the Bull City Future Fund and emphasized the importance of helping people find good jobs and safe, affordable housing. He also called for a refocus on the success of re-entry programs for people who have served time behind bars.

Minister Paul Scott was listening intently to what Williams and the other Durham leaders had to say, because he is someone who reaches out to young people in the area to keep them away from crime.

"I personally am in what they would call the most dangerous neighborhoods in Durham six days a week, talking to the youth, passing out books to the youth, and I'm proud of that," Scott said.

One of the recent shootings involved the death of a 17-year-old in an area north of the city, just a few miles away from where Scott does his outreach. Although crime is in the spotlight, Mayor Williams highlighted some of the resources that can reduce gun violence among young people, such as Project 300, the POOF Teen Center that teaches entrepreneurship, and the many programs DPS offers to its students.

"If your kid is going to school, especially in our public schools, they have access to their marching band, dance program ... sports," Williams said. "We're standing up here as leaders taking ownership of our challenges. We're taking ownership of also the opportunities that are out there."

For Scott, he said books are making a difference in one 5-year-old girl's life.

"Every time she sees me, she darts down the street and says, 'Where's my book?'" Scott said. "The youth are our future ... I'm very hopeful that Durham is going to be a greater place in 2025."

Durham's rash of shootings

The latest happened Tuesday morning in a neighborhood by Holloway Street and Brye Street where police say one man was found dead. Police identified the victim as 31-year-old Christopher Lee Hart, of Durham.

Around the same time a 17-year-old was found shot dead on Lednum Street. A second man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries stemming from this suspected case of gun violence.

Durham Police Department is also still investigating another homicide in the Holloway Street neighborhood where a man was killed on Saturday.

Investigators are also looking into two separate shootings in an area north of downtown near the Oaks at Northgate apartment complex, where in less than 48 hours, three people were shot.