A man was shot early Thursday morning near the intersection of Garner Road and McMakin Street in Southeast Raleigh, sending him to the hospital while investigators combed the pavement for evidence. Police said the man is expected to be okay, even as crime scene tape kept part of the road sealed off for hours after the gunfire.
Officers were called out after receiving a report that a person had been shot near Garner Road and McMakin Street, according to WRAL. Nearly a dozen officers responded to assist with the investigation, and forensic investigators were seen searching the middle of the street for evidence, the outlet reported. No suspect description has been released, and as of Thursday morning, no one was in custody.
Investigators are still working to learn what led up to the shooting, per the same report. The intersection has a bit of local infamy beyond Thursday's gunfire — back in 2022, an airborne vehicle crashed into a nearby residential driveway and flipped onto a parked car while someone was inside the home, according to Raleigh Magazine.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Southeast Raleigh
Thursday's shooting adds to a string of overnight gunfire incidents that have rattled Southeast Raleigh in recent months. In May, Hoodline reported on overnight gunfire on Putnam Road that jolted residents awake, and a separate shooting off Rock Quarry Road that same month sent two people to area hospitals. In July, Hoodline also covered a pre-dawn shooting near the Jones Sausage Road speedway strip that similarly drew a heavy police response.
Those localized clusters of violence stand in contrast to citywide trends. According to the Raleigh Police Department's Q1 2026 crime data, non-fatal shooting incidents dropped 11% compared to the same period in 2025, falling from 19 to 17, while homicides fell 64%, from 11 to just 4. Total assault incidents, however, rose 7% over that same stretch, climbing from 1,734 to 1,855.
City Data Shows Mixed Signals Heading Into Late Summer
The department's full-year 2025 statistics told a similar story of overall improvement, with non-fatal shooting incidents falling 13% citywide to 79 compared to 91 the year before, and total non-fatal shooting victims declining 9%, from 101 to 92. As of late July, the department reported maintaining a 100% homicide clearance rate for 2026, having identified and charged suspects in every murder case opened in the city so far this year.
Statewide, preliminary data from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety points to a similar trend, with violent offenses dropping 11% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period the year before, accompanied by a sharp decrease in firearm use during violent crimes overall.
To help close the gap between citywide numbers and neighborhood-level incidents like Thursday's shooting, Raleigh police have leaned on new tools. The department's Connect Raleigh program, introduced this year, encourages residents and business owners to register private security cameras so officers can more easily pull footage while canvassing crime scenes. In February, the department's Southeast District Special Enforcement Team also executed a search warrant on nearby Riverknoll Drive, seizing six firearms, ammunition, and cash alongside an arrest.
Staffing Debate Continues to Shadow Public Safety Push
The renewed attention on gun violence in Southeast Raleigh comes amid an ongoing political fight over police staffing. Ahead of the city's March municipal primary, the advocacy group Citizens for a Safe & Secure Raleigh pushed for a multi-year hiring effort to add 300 to 400 officers, arguing that an 11% pay increase approved in the prior budget wasn't enough to close the department's staffing gaps, Hoodline previously reported.
Under North Carolina law, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury or committed with intent to kill is classified as a Class E felony, according to legal analysis published by Patrick Roberts Law. If both intent to kill and serious injury are proven, the charge escalates to a Class C felony carrying up to 92 months in prison. No charges have been announced in connection with Thursday's shooting, and investigators have not indicated whether a suspect has been identified.
For now, the man's condition, whether shell casings or a firearm were recovered from the street, and whether nearby home security cameras captured the shooting remain unanswered questions. Raleigh police have not released additional details beyond confirming the man is expected to recover.
