The "Summit on Saving Lives" is held at the Durham Convention Center, bringing together city and county leaders, law enforcement and violence prevention advocated from across the community and beyond.
Mayor Leonardo Williams said he hopes the event will help lead to meaningful solutions, emphasizing confidence in the people gathered to tackle the issue.
City leaders say the summit has been months in the making. In the six months leading to the event, officials held 15 listening sessions across Durham, gathering what they described as an unprecedented amount of community feedback.
Leaders also compiled new data on gun violence, which they hope will help create more targeted solutions.
"Residents have showed up to session after session, shared their pain and wisdom, and asked us a fair and pointed question: what are you going to do about it?" said Durham County Commissioner Mike Lee. "Today, we will begin to answer that."
Williams made it clear the summit is not intended to serve as a final crime plan or solve every issue facing the city. Instead, leaders say the goal is to develop more focused strategies rooted in data and community input.
What happens next
Wednesday's morning session is the only portion of the summit open to the public. Additional sessions will continue behind closed doors through the end of the week.
City leaders say within 60 days of the summit's conclusion, they plan to present recommendations that the Durham City Council can take action on.