'Most Wanted' suspect arrested in November shooting of off-duty Durham deputy

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man wanted in the shooting of an off-duty deputy has been arrested, Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead announced Thursday.

Jerry "JRocc" Lamont Harris Jr. of Durham, had been wanted in connection with the November 14 shooting. He was found in a home in the 2400 block of Vesson Avenue shortly after 11 a.m. and was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff said.

Harris, 26, was identified by investigators as a suspect more than two months ago and had been on Durham's "Most Wanted" list ever since. At the time of the shooting, Harris was on federal probation and had previously been arrested multiple times for a variety of offenses in Durham County.

"This significant and important arrest is a result of a combined effort between the Durham County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division, Durham Police Department, The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and the Raleigh FBI Safe Street Task Force," Birkhead said. "These men and women worked tirelessly to apprehend this wanted suspect."

Harris' arrest was the third in connection to the shooting. Previously, Armand Lewis-Langston and Chakera Mangum, also of Durham, had been taken into custody.

Harris is charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, conspiracy to commit murder, and attempted murder. He is being held without bond in the Durham County Detention Facility and will make a first appearance on Friday.

Birkhead said he wanted to thank the community for its assistance and also "our law enforcement partners."

"We are happy that our injured deputy has recovered and has returned to work," Birkhead said. "As sheriff, I am focused on continuing our efforts to reduce the amount of gun-related crimes across Durham County and hope the community will continue working with us to make our community a safer place to live and work for everyone."