911 caller mentions black SUV driving away from spot where 17-year-old was shot, killed

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Friday, February 14, 2020
17-year-old killed in Raleigh shooting
17-year-old killed in Raleigh shooting

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A 17-year-old was killed in a Raleigh shooting on Wednesday night.

Zaequan Deloatch was found with a gunshot wound in the 5400 block of Duckling Way just before 11 p.m. Deloatch was taken to WakeMed and pronounced dead. Raleigh Police Department officers believe Deloatch was shot on Rogers Farm Drive before they found him on Duckling Way.

SEE ALSO | Man charged in fatal shooting at Carolina Open Air Market

Deloatch's friend, Xavier Gunnell, said Deloatch stayed out of trouble.

"He was nice," Gunnell said. "He was very calm. He was just chill. He was a good person."

Gunnell works at Flat Rate Finish, a car wash near the mobile home park where Deloatch was found.

"He would just walk down there and go see some friends," Gunnell said.

Kyle Weidner works at nearby Phoenix Motors and said his coworkers are looking at video from their surveillance cameras for clues about what led to Deloatch's death.

"It's just a sad, sad story for 17-year-old who isn't going to be able to live a life, or have children or graduate or get married or walk down the aisle," Weidner said.

Raleigh Police Department officers said they believe Deloatch was shot in the back on Rogers Farm Drive, then ran to Duckling Way.

The person who called 911 gave officers a clue that could lead them to the killer. The caller said they heard a shooting and saw a black SUV with no lights on drive away. Police have not said whether they believe the SUV was connected to the homicide.

No suspect information was given. Raleigh police are investigating the shooting as the city's third homicide of 2020.

SEE ALSO | 2019 Raleigh crime report shows robberies down, homicides up

Anyone with information that might assist the investigation of the incident is asked to call Raleigh CrimeStoppers at (919) 834-HELP.