Dozens of families waiting for answers in unsolved Durham murders

More than half of Durham's homicides this year remain unsolved, according to data from the Durham Police department.

Posted 9:20 p.m. Nov 19, 2021 — Updated 2:45 a.m. Nov 20, 2021

Sarah Krueger

, WRAL Durham reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — More than half of Durham's homicides this year remain unsolved, according to data from the Durham Police department.

The city set a grim record, reporting the most homicides ever in a single year since authorities started keeping records. Many families of those victims say they are still waiting on an arrest in the case of their loved one.

"He was somebody’s child," said Pamela Jones-Stone. "He was my nephew."

That man was Tyshaun Chavis, 24. He and a family friend were shot and killed in July while driving on Interstate 85 near Duke Street. Investigators determined that the two were targeted in the shooting.

"I'm tired of all this killing here in Durham," said Pastor Keshon Blue, whose nephew died in the shooting.

Unsolved Durham murder cases by the numbers.

"No one wants to lose a loved one," Blue told WRAL News back in July. "I don't care the nature or life the person is living. Gun violence is just heartbreak, you know, to lose someone to a murder."

Jones-Stone said Chavis was a father of two children and was engaged to be married. He spent his days working at Duke University.

"It’s just happening too frequently," Jones-Stone said. "We’re losing a lot of beautiful people, souls, that’s gone and can never come back."

Data from the National Gun Violence Archive shows that shootings across the U.S. spiked once pandemic lockdowns were put in place and have not come back down. The majority of those shootings are due to interpersonal disputes or domestic violence, NBC reports.

The rise in shootings corresponded with an increase in gun sales — from March 2020 to April 2021 the Federal Bureau of Investigations saw 3 million background checks nearly every month.

Fewer than half – 45% — of the homicides in Durham have been solved so far this, which is significantly lower than in years past. In 2019, nearly 70% of homicides were solved, which is above the national average, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

"Our homicide investigators are extremely dedicated and work tirelessly to fully investigate every case they are assigned," said the police department in a statement to WRAL News. "We continue to ask the community to provide any information they may have related to a case."

Patrice Andrews, Durham's new police chief, said she hopes to "expand the ranks of the police department and improve the morale of officers." She also hopes to raise the salaries of officers to help attract and keep talented officers.

Officials said the department had 74 vacancies this month – nearly 14 percent of its sworn officer positions.

Jones-Stone said she hopes the department will consider hiring more police officers to combat the rising crime.

"I’m not one to blame the police for everything," she said. "Because us as citizens should stand up as well."

To provide a visual reminder of the violence, advocates rolled out a 70-foot-long quilt in front of the county courthouse on Thursday that includes the names of more than 900 people from the community who lost their lives to gun violence in the last 27 years.

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