For second holiday this season, Durham family coping with tragedy

Jerod Long, 38, was killed Thursday night steps away from his home in the New Haven apartment complex, off Ellis Road in east Durham. Family members said Long, who was recently married and had a young child, was walking his dog when he was shot.

Long was the cousin of Frank Clark, who was shot and killed by Durham police on Nov. 22 in the McDougald Terrace housing complex.

"It really caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to get out of bed and hear that one of my high school teammates had been killed," said DeMarlo Ferrell, who has known Long since the seventh grade, when they played basketball against each other.

Ferrell described Long was reserved, someone who didn't start trouble.

"There's no easy way to remotely ease this travesty," he said.

Police haven't said whether Long was targeted in the shooting or whether the crime was random violence.

"No mother should have to bury their children. I think it’s really sad that someone has to grieve," said Earlene Sloan, who lives in the New Haven complex. "Now it’s going to be a sad (holiday) gathering. I hurt for the family.

"I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what kind of hatred. But they need to get the hatred out and put the love in," Sloan said.

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