NC Wanted

NC Wanted: Durham police seek new leads in 12-year-old case

Ian Davis, 18, was shot to death during a Durham robbery on Oct. 1, 2002.

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Ian Davis, 18, was shot to death during a Durham robbery on Oct. 1, 2002.

Law enforcement faced a common dilemma – no one would come forward to help them make an arrest.

“We just need them to trust us to give us the information,” Durham police Capt. Ed Sarvis said. “They don’t have to leave their name to do it. They can call Crime Stoppers and be completely anonymous.”

Davis was visiting a townhouse on Seaton Road, and investigators said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Property manager Roger Karl remembered what happened 12 years ago and says the public's help would be key in solving the case.

“It would bring closure to something that we knew should never have happened,” he said.

Witnesses told police someone threw a brick through the sliding glass doors at the rear of this townhouse, while Davis and others were asleep inside.

Police say the men robbed one resident and shot Davis at close range.

“We firmly believe somebody’s out there that knows what happened in this case and hasn’t forgotten it,” Sarvis said.

He said anyone who comes forward should not be afraid to do so.

“Nobody has to know they called,” Sarvis said. “We’re going to protect their identification. In fact, when they call, we don’t even know who they are. We arrange in a secret way to pay them. We never have to know their name. We use code names.”

Anyone with information about the unsolved case is asked to call the NC Wanted hotline at 1-866-439-2983 (1-866-43-WANTED).

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