Man dodges gunfire, shields dogs, while driving down Durham highway

Being shot is one of the last things you should have to worry about while driving down a highway.

However, gunfire on Sunday around 9:15 a.m. narrowly missed a husband and father traveling along 15-501 in Durham -- which happened to be the same stretch of highway where a road rage shooting happened just last week.

Lance Mitchell had stopped at a red light, when someone pulled a gun on him. He tried to drive away, but the other vehicle started chasing him.

"I turn and look, and he's got his window down with a mask, and he points a gun out the window," says Mitchell, who was at the intersection of Garrett Road and Durham Chapel Hill Blvd.

The shooter chased him about a mile down the highway. Mitchell said he focused on taking cover and protecting his two dogs, who were also in the car with him.

“Next thing I know, I hear three gunshots," he says. "One goes through the back of my window. Another one hit my mirror and went out my windshield”

He said he had one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding his dogs down.

He walked away unharmed, barely dodging the bullets. His daughter, who was following several cars behind him, called 911 for help.

Mitchell believes the suspect was trying to steal his truck.

He also says there are not enough police officers in Durham. As of April, the Durham Police Department has had over 100 officer vacancies. In a town of almost 300,000 people, Mitchell says the need for officers is urgent.

"That day in Durham there were three patrol officers," he says. "All over Durham, just three on duty."

WRAL News has called Durham police several times, asking for the police report and to learn more about how they plan to address the uptick in gun violence on roads and highways. They have not yet responded.