Local News

Police Charge Two Men With Deadly Shooting Near Southpoint Mall

Posted Updated
Barry Evans
DURHAM, N.C. — Durham police have charged two men with murder in connection with a deadly shooting in a parking lot behind Southpoint Cinema at the Streets At Southpoint Mall Monday night.

Officers responded to a shooting call at 8:52 p.m. and found a male who had been shot in the head. The man, identified as 23-year-old Harvey Denard Wiggins of Raleigh, was taken to Duke University Hospital, where he later died.

Julius Earl Gray, 24, of Loft Lane in Raleigh, was taken into custody following the shooting Monday night and was charged with murder on Tuesday.

Police are looking for another man, Barry Ford Evans, 22, of 202 East Club Boulevard in Durham. Officers executed a search warrant at his home Tuesday afternoon, but no one was home.

Investigators are trying to locate Evans, who is considered armed and dangerous. Evans frequents the Greystone subdivision/Lynn Road area in eastern Durham.

Police say the shooting occurred inside a car, which was parked in an isolated area of the parking lot. Officers said there did not appear to be any other people in the immediate area when the shooting occurred. Investigators have not determined a motive.

Authorities say Wiggins had a prior criminal history involving five different counties in North Carolina.

Rick Polley, vice president/general manager at The Streets at Southpoint, released a statement about the shooting:

"Our deepest sympathy goes out to the person's family. We have been advised by the Durham Police Department that this was an isolated incident inside a vehicle between two people who seemed to know each other. The safety and well-being of our shoppers, retailers and employees are always our top concerns. We have welcomed over 40 million visitors since our opening on March 8, 2002, and we invest heavily in our Public Safety initiatives commensurate with that level of visitation. We have always been and will continue to be proactive with this component of our operation."

Mall officials say the shooting will not change any security plans already in place for the holidays.

"We're always very concerned about the experience and safety of the patrons at the mall and we will continue to do so. Given the holiday season, we always look at ways we can ensure the safety of our patrons," mall spokesman Carl Webb said.

Meanwhile, customers are not letting the incident affect their shopping at the mall.

"I figured it was a one-time ordeal, and it really wasn't going to stop me," shopper Judy Brown said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Durham police investigators at (919) 560-4440, ext. 235 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200.

CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.

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