According to Durham police, officers responded to a possible "break-in in progress" call in the 1500 block of Fairfax Road at 10:42 p.m. on Friday. When they arrived, they found 26-year-old Juante Lamar Gooch of South Briggs Avenue lying in the yard with a gunshot wound to his left side.
Investigators believe Gooch had been carjacked from a carwash at the intersection of Holloway and Raynor streets around 10:30 p.m. and then driven to Fairfax Road, where he was thrown out of the vehicle. They believe he was shot somewhere between the carwash and Fairfax Road, which is off Cheek Road.
Gooch made his way to a house on Fairfax Road. The resident, who thought someone was trying to break into the house, called 911.
Gooch was taken to Duke University Hospital, where he died early Saturday.
The car Gooch was driving -- a 1995 white Lexus with 22-inch rims and North Carolina license STL-5821 -- has not been recovered. A Gucci scarf and a ball cap with several baseball team logos on it were hanging from the car's rearview mirror.
No charges have been filed.
Anyone who has seen the Lexus or saw a disturbance near the carwash Friday night is asked to call Durham investigator K.L. Johnson at
560-4440, ext. 274
or CrimeStoppers at
683-1200.
CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases. Callers do not have to give their names.
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