Durham Police arrest 18, seize 12 firearms in violent-crime crackdown
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Durham Police Department's Organized Crime Division arrested 18 people and seized 12 firearms last week in conjunction with a larger effort to combat the rising surge in violent crime, DPD said Monday.
The operation targeted Braggtown, the Glenbrook Drive neighborhood, and Cornwallis Road. Those arrested were charged in various recent crimes including homicide, traffic-related offenses, drug activity, and other firearm-related crimes. Officers also seized "substantial" quantities of drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone and MDMA.
Police conducted 21 traffic stops and seized $2,135 as part of the operation, which was done in collaboration with the FBI and DEA.
Additionally, an 18-year-old was served with a first-degree murder warrant in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy that happened on Ridgeway Avenue in October 2023. He was a juvenile at the time of the homicide, so his name will not be released.
On Monday, ABC11 spoke with a Durham mother who knows firsthand the pain associated with gun violence.
"Every gun they get off the street is another life saved," Keedrah Sidberry said.
Last July, Keedrah's daughter, Destiny, was shot four times on Guthrie Avenue by a family member who investigators believe was on drugs and in crisis. Destiny threw herself over her 5-year-old cousin Khloe and 1-year-old cousin Amir to protect them.
Destiny survived, as did Amir, but Khloe did not. Sidberry said it's a kind of pain that's hard to express.
"It's just a matter of having that support behind you. From various resources, family, friends, the community," she said.
Sidberry spoke with ABC11 after the latest DPD crackdown - which follows a similar sting last month that led to 24 arrests and 11 confiscated guns. It's progress that Sidberry said keeps her hopeful.
"It fills my heart with joy because guns just are just terrible, especially -- it's just too many people they shouldn't have guns that have them," she said.
It all comes as Mayor Leo Williams launches a new partnership - the Bull City Future Fund - that's aimed at tackling violent crimes involving young people in Durham. Eight of the 18 people arrested in this latest operation were 20 or younger.
"Each person in their home has to be willing to do their part because you never know when it's going to be your family or your friends' family. You just never know," Sidberry said.
More charges are pending.
Anyone with any information about violent criminal activity in the city is asked to call CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200 or go online at www.durhamcrimestoppers.org. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
