Police identify man killed in Chapel Hill shooting. 3 injured expected to survive
A 51-year-old man was fatally shot and three other people were injured Tuesday after shots were fired at an apartment complex not far from downtown Chapel Hill, police said in a news release.
Wednesday, Chapel Hill police said the man was Michael Deshai Lee, of Chapel Hill.
The shooting is being investigated as a homicide, police said in the release.
Two people suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to UNC Hospitals for treatment, police said. A fourth person also was injured, but police did provide details about what caused that person’s injuries.
All are expected to survive, police said Wednesday.
Chapel Hill police responded to the call of multiple gunshots being fired at 6:18 p.m. Tuesday in the 800 block of Pritchard Avenue Extension, near Umstead Drive, the release said.
Around 9 p.m., a white tent had been erected in the parking lot of the University Gardens apartment complex’s upper level. Neighbors watched across the police tape line keeping them from the crime scene as several officers continued their investigation.
Police did not provide additional details about whether a suspect or suspects are in custody.
Chapel Hill Fire Department and Orange County EMS personnel were assisting.
The Police Department “does not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community,” the release said.
Second shooting at complex
It was the second shooting at the University Gardens complex in the last month.
On Aug. 25, police found 19-year-old Rahzel Tyreek Jenkins at the complex with gunshot wounds. Jenkins died at UNC Hospitals from his injuries.
A Chapel Hill man, 22-year-old Anthony Wuanya Holman turned himself in to police a few days later and was charged with first-degree murder. Holman is being held in the Orange County Jail without bail.
In his first court hearing on Aug. 29, Holman told District Court Judge C. Todd Roper that the shooting “was self-defense.” He could face life in prison or death if convicted of the first-degree murder charge.
Jenkins’ death was the fourth homicide in Chapel Hill since January, according to the Chapel Hill Police Department. In 2021, there was one homicide and in 2020, there were none.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call 911 or Orange County Communications’ non-emergency number at 919-732-5063. Callers also can leave anonymous tips with Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crimestoppers at 919-942-7515.
