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'Left me defenseless': Delivery driver says he was wrongfully detained by Durham deputies

A WRAL News crew witnessed a drive-by shooting in Durham on Thursday night. Now, a delivery driver said he too, was caught up on the commotion.

Posted Updated

By
Julian Grace
, WRAL anchor/reporter
A WRAL News crew witnessed a drive-by shooting in Durham on Thursday night.

Two drive-by shootings were reported that night in Durham. The shooting witnessed by WRAL's crew was near Liberty and Elm Streets.

A second shooting happened at East Main and Elizabeth streets, near the Durham Police Department headquarters. Two nearby apartments were hit by gunfire, according to police, and officers and Durham County deputies in the area found the vehicle suspected in the shooting after it crashed into two cars in the parking lot of Edgemont Elms Apartments.

Now, a delivery driver said he too, was caught up in the commotion.

"I was on Angier Avenue. As I was making that delivery, I heard several shots ring out. I started to panic. I managed to deliver the order to the customer, [and] then I got in the car and tried to make my way out of the situation," described Michael Johnson.

Johnson said that, just as he tried to pull away to safety, he was immediately surrounded by officers.

That's when he says they told him to get out of the car with his hands up. Then, he was "rushed to the ground without an explanation."

"I'm trying to explain to them I'm just a Door Dash driver," said Johnson. "I don't know what's going on here. I have nothing to do with the situation."

Johnson said he was forced out of his car and handcuffed with his hands around his back when the shooting started a second time.

He added that he had nowhere to go and no protection when those who had detained him left to find cover.

"(They) left me defenseless [and] handcuffed without any protection for myself. I had to run and duck for cover myself," said Johnson.

"I thought I was going to get hit, and I would be the first to get hit. I was the one without any cover," he added.

Eventually, Johnson said a law enforcement officer saw him running around and took the handcuffs off of him.

"I felt like my life didn't matter at that point," he said. "I felt like, God forbid, if they were to fire or thought I had something to do with it, my life would have been gone for nothing."

Johnson later filed a complaint and is waiting to hear the next steps.

The Durham Police Department said Johnson's complaint would be investigated by the Professional Standards Division. Investigators found that no Durham Police Department officers were involved in the traffic stop or the handcuffing of the delivery driver. Deputies with the Durham County Sheriff's Officers pulled Johnson over and, according to the DPD report, "As deputies were questioning the driver additional shots were fired in the immediate vicinity. Deputies took cover for their safety, while the detained man was seated behind his vehicle."

Durham Sheriff Clarence Birkhead pointed ultimate responsibility back at the shooters, saying in the DPD report, “This is an unfortunate incident that could have resulted in the loss of life at the hands of the indiscriminate shooters. This incident could have been far worse. Lives could have been lost.

"The Durham Police officers and the deputies of DCSO responded bravely to identify and apprehend the suspects involved in this shooting incident. They did their job. Thankfully, no one was killed this time,” Birkhead said.

"I want to see change happen on how police determine who is at fault and who is threatened [and] find a better way to go about it so we can be respectfully treated," said Johnson.

A 16-year-old with a stolen gun has been charged in connection to the shooting at East Main and Elizabeth Streets.

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