Durham Mayor Leo Williams says 'can't be OK' with persistent gun violence; 2 more incidents Monday
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Laura Betye is hoping for some answers to the persistent gun violence in Durham.
She went to city council on Monday to offer up one solution.
"It is better than nothing," she said, referring to the Shotspotter technology, which pinged the Durham Police Department to get to incidents more quickly. "We have to ensure our residents' safety. Durham is growing exponentially."
Betye was working as a substitute teacher last week at RN Harris Elementary School when a 14-year-old was shot right outside McDougald Terrace after 11 in the morning.
The school is just blocks from the complex.
"I could see the nervousness because those kids didn't know what to do," she said.
There are folks in these neighborhoods who say they are sick and tired of living in a dangerous environment and it's important we hear that.- Leo Williams, Durham mayor
On Monday, we saw even more violence at the complex and throughout the city.
One incident happened at East Lawson and Wabash Street just before children were getting home from school. One person was shot and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Our cameras also captured DPD at Fayetteville Street and Linwood Avenue investigating a call for shots fired.
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"We have to address that directly," said Mayor Leonardo Williams. "Just because you may live in public housing doesn't mean you have to be susceptible to violence. We can't be OK with people dying and we can't be OK with people living and ducking gunshots and making that their normal."
Williams said he has tasked the head of the Durham Housing Authority to do anything possible. He noted also that arresting their way out of the situation isn't the answer.
"There are folks in these neighborhoods who say they are sick and tired of living in a dangerous environment and it's important we hear that," Williams said.
ABC11 asked the mayor whether the recent incidents were because of gangs. He said some are but not a full-blown crisis where there are turf wars everywhere.
He said the folks causing problems have to pay for their actions.
An announcement on some solutions to the violence, Williams said, is coming before the end of the month.
