A girl was killed Tuesday evening after police said two juveniles were playing with a gun in Durham.
According to the Durham Police Department, officers were called to a shooting just before 7 p.m. in the 700 block of North Duke Street. During the call, police learned that two juveniles were playing with a gun when it accidentally went off.
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When they arrived at the scene, officers found a girl with a fatal gunshot wound.
It is unclear if the juveniles involved are children or teenagers.
WRAL News has reached out to Durham police to ask the following:
- What are the ages of the girl who was shot and killed and the other juvenile involved?
- How did the juveniles get the gun?
- Is anyone facing any charges?
- Will Durham police file charges against the owner of the gun, the parents of the juvenile(s), and/or the other juvenile involved in the shooting?
- Is anyone currently in custody?
- How did the two juveniles know each other? Are they related?
The incident was one of two deadly shootings on Tuesday in Durham. Police said a man was shot and killed on Eva Street minutes before the shooting on North Duke Street.
Police said the shooting on North Duke Street is an isolated incident, and there is no danger to the public. While their investigation is ongoing, police asked anyone with information to contact them at 919-560-4440 ext. 29310 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200 or online at www.durhamcrimestoppers.org.
Community organizations emerge to provide help, resources
Since June of last year, WRAL has reported multiple shootings in Durham involving children as young as three and four getting access to firearms, with some ending in serious injuries and others in death.
Gun safety experts say kids getting access to guns has become the center of more crimes in recent years.
William J. Lassiter, with the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, said there's been a jump in youth crime involving firearms.
"About 5 years ago, it was about 3 percent of juvenile crime involved a firearm," Lassiter said. "Last year, it was about 14% of all juvenile crime involved a firearm."
Initiatives like NC S.A.F.E. and Be SMART push the message that safety resources exist and can prevent the next emergency.
"We have tons of resources ourselves," Blaire Rogers of Be SMART Durham. "If you go to the
Durham Public Library, NC Safe and other programs, they have gun locks there as
well."
Police departments often provide communities with gun safety guidance, such as always storing guns unloaded and locked away securely. Police also encourage serious conversations with children. In June, Raleigh police held gun lock giveaway events.
WRAL documentary: North Carolina kids dying from gun violence
Gun violence kills more young people in the U.S. than any other cause. In 2024, the WRAL Documentary Unit set out to uncover why kids in North Carolina are 51% more likely to die from gun violence compared to children in the United States as a whole, according to statistics from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
In UnSafe: North Carolina Kids Dying from Gun Violence, WRAL Investigative Documentary Reporter Cristin Severance and Documentary Photojournalist Dwayne Myers shed light on the devastating impacts of gun violence through the deeply personal story of one family’s loss. The tragic death of 8-year-old Jenesis Dockery, who died four days shy of her 9th birthday after getting shot by her babysitter’s 11 year-old-son, shows just how many lives are destroyed by gun violence.
Gun safety resources
Learn about how to store your firearms safely at home and on the go, how to talk to your children about gun safety and how to make sure that schools and playdates are a safe environment from NC S.A.F.E.
Download a free gun safety kit or request a free gun lock from Project Child Safe.
The Durham County Gun Safety Program also offers outreach events, best safety practices and free gun locks on request.