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'I will never see my son again.' Family grieves after shooting at NCCU

Family member said Tavis Rhodes, 20, was one of the men killed in the shooting at an NCCU parking deck.

Posted Updated

By
Aaron Thomas
, WRAL reporter
DURHAM, N.C. — A family is grieving after a Durham man was one of two people shot and killed on North Carolina Central University's campus on Saturday night. The shooting did not involve NCCU students, according to a statement from university officials.
Campus police sent an alert to the NC Central community after a report of shots fired around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night at the Latham Parking Deck on East Lawson Street. The men were injured and later died in a local hospital.

Family member said Tavis Rhodes, 20, was one of the men killed in the shooting at an NCCU parking deck.

Rhodes' family said he graduated from Hillside High School in 2019, served in the Army Reserves and left behind a 3-month-old son.

"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this. I will never see my son again," said Rhodes' mother, who asked not to be identified by WRAL News out of concern about safety.

Rhodes' mother said her son was passionate, hardworking and dedicated.

"The last time I saw him, he was in his uniform walking into the house," she recalled.

Rhodes' girlfriend said she is now left to raise their child together on her own.

"I come from a two-parent household so I wanted for that for my child. I wanted him to grow in a two-parent household with parents that love each other so much," she said.

More than 5,600 attendees at the NCCU football game were placed on lockdown in the nearby O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium when the shooting happened. Surrounding roads were closed to traffic, as police actively searched for the shooter or shooters.
Two shot at NCCU while football game going on

In 2021, there have been more than 30 homicides in the city of Durham.

"It sickens me," said Durham Councilman Mark-Anthony Middleton. "This is a de-facto of emergency in our city and I think we need to treat it as such, mainly at City Hall."

Officials said the campus remains a "safe community" after Saturday night's shooting.

Durham police are searching for a black Nissan Altima with tinted windows, and they are still working to determine the motive, the cause and what led up to the shooting.

"I am going to remember my son for who he was, and I know Tavis was an awesome person," said Rhodes' mother.

Police have not released the identity of the second person killed in Saturday's shooting.

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