Durham police officers fire at suspects after investigation turns into shootout

Durham police officers investigating a shooting Sunday night found themselves in a shootout when suspects in two cars drove by, guns firing.

The officers had responded to a shooting in the 1000 block of Worth St., according to a Durham Police Department news release. They didn’t find anyone who had been shot, but they did find an empty car with bullet holes on the corner of Elm and East Main streets.

“A short time later, an adult male walked into a local hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound,” the department news release stated. Investigators don’t yet know if he was involved in the reported shooting.

After officers had blocked off the crime scene, two cars came down Main Street with their occupants firing guns, the release continued.

Two officers on foot at the crime scene fired back, and both vehicles fled. No officers were injured, and there were no reports of additional people being shot.

The officershave been placed on administrative leave with pay, which is standard procedure when officer fire their weapons, according to the department. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and DPD’s Criminal Investigations Division and Professional Standards Division will investigate the incident, which is also standard procedure.

Anyone with information about the initial shooting is asked to call Investigator C. Brinkley at 919-560-4440 ext. 29322 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.

The Durham Report

Calling Bull City readers! We've launched The Durham Report, a free weekly digest of some of the top stories for and about Durham published in The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. Get your newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday at 11 a.m. featuring links to stories by our local journalists. Sign up for our newsletter here. For even more Durham-focused news and conversation, join our Facebook group "The Story of my Street."