4 shootings in one day put renewed spotlight on Durham violence

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Four shootings before the afternoon was done put Durham residents on edge Tuesday.

A fifth incident in the evening wasn't immediately confirmed to be a shooting, but it left a teenager with life-threatening injuries and police searching for answers.

The violence started early Tuesday -- at 6 a.m., officers responded to a report of a gunshot wound in the 800 block of Summer Storm Drive in north Durham. When officers arrived, they found a man had been shot.

That man was taken to the hospital with what police described as non-life-threatening injuries.

Then, shortly after 11 a.m., officers responded to a shooting in the 3800 block of Cash Road in Bethesda Park where a man had been shot. EMS took him to a hospital with serious injuries.

Less than two hours later, another shooting call came in for the 1000 block of Linwood Avenue, not far from North Carolina Central University's campus. Officers arrived just before 1 p.m. and found a man with life-threatening injuries. The victim was rushed to a hospital.

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The fourth shooting took place just 45 minutes later in Sherwood Park. A man and woman had been shot in the 1700 block of Cheek Road, not far from the new 885 East End Connector.

They were also taken to a hospital with what police said were non-life-threatening injuries.

In a fifth violent incident Tuesday evening, Durham police said they were investigating an aggravated assault that left a teenager seriously injured.

DPD said it wasn't sure where the crime happened, but a teen was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police haven't said whether the teen was injured as a result of a shooting.

The rash of crimes unnerved Bull City residents and disrupted the routines of others.

The youth football team Bull City Bull Dogs had to move their practice location.

"Our goal is to keep kids busy and off the streets giving them something else to focus on," said Talaya Burruss. "It's disappointing that they can't show up a place; that practice was canceled due to something out of our control."

Burruss reached out to the city to find an alternate location.

"People have to travel and change their plans with their kids and their families that may have been more convenient," Burruss said.

There were 80 youngsters out there, 4-12 years old for the second practice of the season.

"The amount of runaround that we have to do to secure a field shouldn't be that hard," Burruss said. "Should be easier to serve our youth."

Dominique Blue was watching her 10-year-old Kyree play. Blue got notice that practice had to get moved

"It would've been bad, it's already happened before where we've had to get down because of shootings but to be there would've been really bad," Blue said. "You're traumatizing the kids, the parents, the people who weren't just bystanders there. There's other people over there playing basketball, tennis.

"It's sad that kids can't just play football anywhere without worrying about something happening," she added.

Fred Evans, the executive director of the league, is juggling the usual sports-related concerns but also community safety worries.

"My mind was rushing from the beginning, and then I thought about it -- well: they'll be gone now, what am I going to do? We start playing less than 3 weeks," Evans said. "I have to think from that point of view but also have to think from a coach about what do parents and what would police think, so I have to wear a lot of hats but my No. 1 focus is to make sure these kids are safe no matter what.

"It's unfortunate, but we've got to go on for these kids," Evans added. "We can't quit."

Tuesday's spate of shootings follows two days of violence in Durham. One man was shot and killed on Sunday.

In a separate case one man died after a fight. Two other people were hurt in that case.

ABC11 has learned that shootings in Durham are up nearly 25% from this time last year. There have been about 100 more shootings reported this year.

Anyone with information on these cases is asked to please call CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.