Local News

Durham police: Man acted in self-defense in strip mall shooting

Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said a man arrested Friday after a shootout at a Durham strip mall was acting in self-defense and had been released without a criminal charge.

Posted Updated

DURHAM, N.C. — Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said a man arrested Friday after a shootout at a Durham strip mall was acting in self-defense and had been released without a criminal charge.

After dozens of shots rang out on Avondale Drive around 6:10 p.m., police tracked Freddy Cheek, 33, to a laundromat and questioned him, but Lopez said Cheek was able to convince officers that he was acting in self-defense.

Jacinto Barr, 33, who was wounded in the encounter, was the instigator, Lopez said, and he is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute heroin, according to the Durham County Sheriff's Department.

Lopez said Barr and Cheek knew each other.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.