7-year-old boy killed in Durham shooting

Durham police said the boy, who was not identified, was in a moving Honda Pilot SUV with nine other people at about 5 p.m. when multiple shots were fired from another moving vehicle near Hillandale Road and Peppertree Street.

The driver of the SUV drove to the nearby Tokyo Express Cuisine restaurant in the 3200 block of Guess Road because a flat tire prevented them from getting to the hospital, authorities said.

"This one lady ran inside, all frantic, yelling and screaming, talking about her baby got shot," said Brian Arevalo, who was inside the restaurant. "There were people circling the building, I'm assuming people in the car, all upset."

Police said that the child's father was one of the adults inside the SUV, but his mother was not inside the vehicle.

The boy was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Patrons were locked inside Tokyo Express Cuisine for several hours as police investigated and many took refuge in the kitchen.

"We were just in the kitchen because we were afraid like somebody was going to come in through the back, through the front. Nobody knew who was doing the shooting," Arevalo said.

"I was very scared. A lot of things go through your mind. As a mother, I wanted just to have my children safe," said Arevalo's mother, Jacqueline Arevalo. "We were worried about the door in the back and then we saw a lot of people coming in."

Authorities said the five adults and four other children inside the SUV were leaving a local pool. Three adults fled the scene following the shooting, police said.

Authorities said the shooting was not a random incident.

"This is a senseless tragedy once again caused by gun violence," said Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis. "We will work swiftly to identify and arrest the person or people responsible for taking the life of this innocent child."

Anybody with information is asked to call Durham police at 919-560-4440 or Crime Stoppers at 919-683-1200.