Durham police short-staffed during mall shooting at Streets of Southpoint
New numbers from the Durham Police union show that as officers dealt with a major situation Friday at Streets of Southpoint - they were low on manpower.
Posted — UpdatedNew numbers from the Durham Fraternal Order of Police show that as officers dealt with a major situation Friday at Streets of Southpoint, they were low on manpower.
Shoppers went running, and three more were injured in the chaos of the escaping crowd.
According to numbers from the Durham Fraternal Order of Police:
- On the day of the shooting, only 54% of officer positions were filled.
- By bringing in additional officers to work overtime, that number rose to 69% of the force available to work.
Witnesses say the shooting began as a fight in Macy's between two groups of people.
Police Chief Patrice Andrews said in a news conference Friday that multiple people were involved in the shooting and that multiple arrests were expected, but through midday on Monday, no one had been charged.
When asked about the staffing shortages, a spokesperson for the Durham Police Department said, "Despite the staffing levels that we face, our officers come to work each day and give 100% of themselves to do the job they were sworn to do. They will continue to provide a high level of service to our entire community."
They also said they'd like to commend their officers for the prompt response to the Streets of Southpoint.
WRAL News has asked police if they can share any surveillance videos so the public can help identify any suspects and is waiting to hear back.
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