Man charged with murder in shooting death of 7-year-old Durham boy

Kamari Munerlyn, 7, was in a Honda Pilot SUV with nine other people at about 5 p.m. Sunday when multiple shots were fired from another car as the vehicles traveled near Hillandale Road and Peppertree Street.

The driver of the Pilot 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 a nearby hospital, authorities said.

Munerlyn was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Devon Maurice Fowler, 28, of Junction Road was arrested at an Extended Stay America hotel on Bluestone Drive in Raleigh and charged with murder and felony conspiracy in connection with the case.

Theo Munerlyn, Kamari's father, said Monday that he will remember his son in happier times.

"He was a smart, young boy," Tho Munerlyn said. "He was very smart, very energetic...always ready to tell me stories, wanted to go outside and play. He wanted to be a basketball player."

Fowler's first court date is scheduled for Wednesday.