What started as a drive up to the Durham County Sheriff’s Office East Station on Wake Forest Highway turned into a scene straight out of a crime drama on Tuesday afternoon, when a couple pulled into the lot with gunshot wounds and a child sitting unhurt inside the car.
Deputies said both adults had serious injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. The shooting appears to have grown out of a domestic dispute.
How deputies say it unfolded
According to a statement from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, just after 1:00 p.m. Tuesday a black sedan pulled into the east station parking area in the 5300 block of N.C. 98/Wake Forest Highway. A passenger inside the car asked for help for apparent gunshot wounds.
Emergency medical crews responded and took both the driver and the passenger to a nearby hospital, while deputies locked down the immediate area and began processing the scene. Investigators later recovered a firearm they believe was used in the shooting, and Wake Forest Highway was temporarily closed between Baptist Road and Olive Branch Road while evidence was collected.
Victims, evidence and investigation
“The injuries to the male and female located in the car were the result of a domestic dispute,” the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said in an update. Both victims remained hospitalized for treatment of severe but non-life-threatening injuries.
The child who was inside the vehicle was not hurt and has been placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators with the Criminal Investigation Division are leading the case and are working to piece together what happened before the sedan rolled into the lot asking for help.
School briefly locked down
John W. Neal Middle School, which sits right next to the east station, was placed on a brief lockdown while deputies worked the scene. The lockdown went into effect at about 1:18 p.m. and was lifted at 1:34 p.m., according to WRAL.
Overhead video showed deputies clustered around a black sedan near the entrance to the lot, and traffic along Wake Forest Highway was blocked in the area as investigators examined the car and surrounding roadway. School officials reported no injuries inside the building.
Police appeal for tips
No charges have been filed so far, and investigators have not publicly identified the people involved. Authorities are still sorting through the circumstances of the shooting and have asked anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division at 919-560-0880, according to CBS17.
The Durham County Sheriff’s Office said it is continuing its investigation and urged any witnesses who saw the car or heard anything in the area around the time of the shooting to come forward.
