A recent rash of violent crime may be the final straw to bring federal assistance to the Durham area.
In the last two months, Durham Police have reported seven murders and six shootings, some with no known suspects or fugitives still on the run.
This problem is compounded by the recent weekend reports of armed robberies, violent assaults, shootings and murders against Duke students, Duke employees, innocent bystanders in the Hispanic communities, Durham Police officers, and unwitting citizens caught in the crossfire of gang initiations and retaliations.
In a recent WRAL News report, Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said it is disturbing to have three officer-related shootings in three months.
Lopez insists the reason for the number of incidents is too many illegal guns on the streets. “One thing I find unsettling is that these officers are encountering individuals who are armed and who apparently have a propensity to use it,” Lopez said.
The dirty secret is that Durham’s crime reputation lingers and frightens innocent citizens away, bringing to mind a violent land known as 'The Killing Fields,' a term made famous by the 1984 movie about war-torn Cambodia.
This continued reputation concerns Durham's advocates who have worked tirelessly and at great expense to clean up the city's image.
NC WANTED has been informed that the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been working to establish a Violent Crime Impact Team in Durham, which would bring money and manpower to law enforcement in the area to secure the streets.
Although the ATF has not officially confirmed that Durham is the next location of their violent crime task force, a spokesman for the ATF’s Charlotte field office told NC WANTED it is a “top priority” of the agency to bring federal law enforcement to the Durham area.
ATF Supervisory Special Agent Earl Woodham said, however, that establishing a Violent Crime Impact Team could take a while due to decisions being made at the federal level.
“We want to establish a full law enforcement field office in Durham in the future. As with all things government, even this venture cannot be accomplished overnight,” Woodham explained.
According to Woodham, the goal of the ATF impact teams is to funnel more money, manpower and cars to local police forces with the specific aim of responding to violent crime.
"The teams maintain a presence in an area until mission accomplished,” Woodham said.
Greensboro was one of the first cities in the country to become the home of a Violent Crime Impact Team, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and headed by the ATF.
For North Carolina to have two expensive taxpayer-supported ATF offices and teams reflects the disturbing statewide trends in violent crime.
Durham is not the only city in North Carolina with violent crime problems. Charlotte has long had the reputation of being a murder capital in the region. Other areas reporting violent crime increases include Robeson County, Winston-Salem, Rocky Mount and Raleigh.
Right now, the priority is Durham.
In 2006, there were nearly 2,000 violent crimes reported in Durham, of which 14 were homicides. The News and Observer recently reported that number jumped to 29 in 2007.
In 2007, the State Board of Education released a report on school crime and violence that highlights the state’s goal to make schools safer. In a city like Durham, where much of the violent crime is committed by and targeted at young people, school safety initiatives could pay off.
Gang violence remains a persistent problem for public safety as well. Christopher Martin, a hip-hop star and documentary filmmaker, was injured when the getaway car of a murder and armed robbery suspect struck him on Holloway Street. Martin, who recently produced a film about gang life in Durham entitled “Welcome to Durham, USA,” was treated and released from the hospital after the ironic incident.
If Durham is to go from 'The Killing Fields' to 'A Field of Dreams,' then swift and dramatic countermeasures appear necessary.
ATF's Violent Crimes Impact Team may be what the doctor ordered for what is ailing the Durham area.
To voice your opinion, citizens may contact the nearest ATF office at (704) 716-1800 or by email at charlottediv@atf.gov.
For Further Review ----
Durham Police are continuing their investigations of unsolved violent crimes in the area and are asking the public for more information on the following cases:
-- On November 22, Tony Craig King Williams allegedly shoved his wife out of a moving car on Barbee Road. He faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, larceny of a motor vehicle and injury to personal property.
-- Jalil Stokes was shot to death while driving on the Durham Freeway on Christmas Day. Officers have not established a motive and no charges have been filed.
-- Investigators are seeking information on a December 22 shooting that left four people wounded on Gurley Street. The shooter is believed to be driving a white Cadillac.
-- An armored truck at the Bank of America on Hope Valley Road was ambushed and robbed January 8. Shots were fired, but no one was injured. Two men fled the scene in dark-colored clothing and masks.
-- Several men may be responsible for more than 30 robberies – including a fatal shooting – that have targeted people of Latino descent in Durham, police said. Since Jan. 1, a series of robberies have had several common elements, including the perpetrators using guns to threaten Hispanic people in the parking lots of apartment complexes, usually between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. In several incidents, the robbers shot their victims. Most often, the perpetrators take cash, wallets and cell phones. Eleven of the robberies occurred last weekend.
-- Dolores Benito Gomez was shot during an armed robbery Friday night in his home on Burke Street. Investigators believed the killers are two men who were dressed in black.
-- At an apartment complex on Anderson Street, police discovered the body of Abhijit Mahato, who had been shot to death. Police do not have a motive or a suspect at this time.
If you have information on these crimes, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your information will be kept confidential.
