Durham school leaders host Safety Summit 2 days after teen girl charged in death of 16-year-old boy

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Safety is on the mind of Durham Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Anthony Lewis, who reacted to Sunday's shooting involving two Lakeview School students.

"Just this past weekend, we lost a student," Dr. Lewis said. "In addition, what I hear is that the suspect is also one of our students."

Durham Police announced on Tuesday that a 15-year-old girl has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a 16-year-old who was found injured in a neighborhood near North Holman Street. The teenage victim was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

DPS confirmed both teens were students at Lakeview School, where there is additional support from counselors this week.

"Whether they are friends, classmates with the students, they know the students," Dr. Lewis said. "So, from a social and emotional standpoint, it impacts them in a major way. Many of them live in the neighborhoods that the students may live in. I would venture to guess they may be wondering, am I next?"

Dr. Lewis said his heart goes out to the families in the district, including the teenage victim's family, who released the following statement in response to the recent arrest.

"We just would like to thank everyone for reaching out. To the friends and detectives thank you! To all that knew the victim, knew how his smile and laugh was contagious and his love for his family was undeniable. He will truly be missed is an understatement. We love him dearly."

As the school community mourns the death of one of their own, the "Safe Minds, Safe Schools: A Community Commitment" Summit at Hillside High School comes at a critical time.

"The goal tonight is to assemble a large number of people in the room, share what we're currently doing, get feedback on that. But also, there may be something that we're not thinking of," Dr. Lewis said. "The attendees tonight will be able to share any additional measures that we can take to keep our scholars safe."

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