A man died early Friday morning after being shot on the 700 block of Rigsbee Avenue in downtown Durham, according to police. Officers responded to a report of a gunshot wound just before 2 a.m. and found the man suffering from injuries described as life-threatening. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
Durham police say the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, and as of Friday morning, no arrests had been announced, according to CBS17. Police said they will release more information as it becomes available, but have not detailed a motive, a suspect description, or what led up to the gunfire on the block.
Businesses on Rigsbee Avenue
Motorco Music Hall is located at 723 Rigsbee Avenue in downtown Durham.
Just two weeks earlier, the Charlotte-based jewelry brand KIKI opened its first Triangle store at 620 Rigsbee Avenue. Hoodline covered that opening in its piece on KIKI's first Triangle store.
Part of a Wider Surge in Durham Shootings
Friday's homicide adds to a year that has already strained Durham's public safety picture. Durham Police Department tracking data through August 8 logged 340 criminal shooting incidents citywide in 2026, leaving 121 people shot and 15 of them killed, a pace slightly ahead of the 329 shootings recorded through the same point in 2025. Durham also recorded 13 homicides in the first quarter of 2026, a 44% jump from the nine homicides reported over the same period in 2025, according to CBS 17.
The city's violent crime trend had been moving in the opposite direction just a year earlier. Durham police solved at least 34 of 39 homicide cases in 2025, a year in which overall citywide violent crime fell 16.9% compared to 2024, per WRAL. Meanwhile, the Durham County Sheriff's Office reported an 8.7% decrease in major crimes across unincorporated parts of the county during the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period a year prior, even as the city core has seen a spike in gun violence.
Recent Shootings in Durham
Friday's shooting follows other reported gunfire incidents in Durham this year. Hoodline previously reported on a double shooting on Hunt Street in the same Central Park neighborhood, as well as a fatal shooting on Lane Street, one of four shootings described as fatal or critical within a 10-day span last month. Another shooting outside a Hillsborough Road sports bar left a man fighting for his life.
How to Report Information
Anyone with information about Friday's shooting is asked to contact Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. The tip line offers cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to a felony arrest in unsolved violent crimes. Durham police have said they will share additional details about the case as the investigation continues.
