Raleigh police and SWAT teams blocked off a Raleigh neighborhood off Tryon Road, searching for the person responsible for firing shots at eight vehicles and four homes this week.
Around 4 p.m., guns were drawn in the area of Kentford Court in Raleigh. At 4:20 p.m., Sky 5 flew overhead as a handcuffed man was being led into a Raleigh police SUV. In total, two people were detained.
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Before the two were detained, WRAL News crews parked at the scene saw close to 25 police officers and heard two flash bangs. Neighbors were asked to stay inside their homes.
Raleigh police said since Monday, there were 12 shootings, one of which left a woman injured. View the timeline.
Nov. 7: Bullet hits cars near NC State
The most recent shootings occurred Thursday morning, when two cars were hit by gunfire in the 1500 block of Trailwood Drive, close to North Carolina State University.
On Thursday around 8:50 a.m., police responded to a report of shots fired into a white Toyota Camry. Another car was also hit by gunfire. No injuries were reported.
A man in the white Camry called 911 to report he was on his way to work, traveling on Trailwood Drive, when the bullet hit his door, police said. The man was not struck by the bullet and pulled over to call 911.
Sky 5 flew over the police investigation at 10 a.m., which centered around the man's car parked at University Suites, an apartment complex off Trailwood Drive. Investigators searched the car for evidence and took photos of the damage.
There was one bullet hole visible in the front driver's side door, and shattered glass was on the road.
N.C. State University Police assisted the Raleigh Police Department due to the proximity of the shooting to campus.
Valerie Vides, a senior at N.C. State, saw the chaos outside her apartment window.
"I looked outside my window there were a ton of cops, a K-9 unit and a troop of motorcyclists, [they were] out there a good two hours," Vides described.
The busy scene helped Vides make the decision not to leave for class Thursday morning.
"I was just like, 'I'm not going to leave, I'm going to email my teacher,'" Vides said. "I took a pic of the cop cars, I don't feel safe leaving."
In a 12 p.m. news conference on Thursday, Deputy Chief Rico Boyce said the State Highway Patrol (SHP) and the Wake County Sheriff's Office were assisting Raleigh police with the search for the shooter. A SHP helicopter was also used in the search.
Homes, vehicles shot on Monday and Wednesday
Thursday afternoon, Raleigh police connected the two morning incidents with 10 others in the area.
Four cars were hit by gunfire on Wednesday morning at the following locations. No one was injured.
- Interstate 40 near Trinity Road
- Interstate 40 near Avent Ferry Road
- Interstate 40 near Cary Towne Boulevard
- Jones Franklin Road near Capital Center Drive
Additionally on Wednesday, four home were struck at the following locations. No one was injured.
- Two homes were struck in the 2000 block of Wolf Tech Lane
- A third home was struck in the 2400 block of Centennial Ridge Way
- A fourth home was struck in the 3200 block of Shire Lane
The first incidents occurred Monday, when woman in a Jeep was shot in the leg along I-40 near Cary Towne Boulevard. Another vehicle was struck on I-40 near Buck Jones Road, but no one was injured.
WRAL News on Thursday spoke to Shannon Defries, who said his Ford was one of the four vehicles damaged on I-40 on Wednesday. He sent WRAL News photos of shattered glass.
"I was going east on I-40 past the airport, my normal route heading to Holly Springs," Defries described. "I heard a big explosion and glass came in on the right side, [I had] no idea what happened."
Defries thinks the shot came from someone inside another car.
"I didn't know if it was a random bullet from the woods," he said. "I didn't know if it was the car next to me. I swerved and went to the left."
Defries can't believe someone is shooting into occupied cars.
"Why they are doing it? Maybe they think it's funny or a joke," he said.
In a news conference on Wednesday, police said there were six shooting incidents in total – two on Monday and four on Wednesday. The incidents are connected. Police do not have a suspect.
Police believe a handgun was the type of weapon used.
"We’re [going to] be out there until we find who is responsible for this incident," Boyce said. "Obviously, a lot of people do travel that roadway. This is a priority for the Raleigh Police Department, and we’re going to do all we can to find who is responsible."
Raleigh police said they will have extra patrols along this stretch of I-40.
Vides, the N.C. State student who watched Thursday's scene from her window, said it's worrisome to know there were shootings on a road she travels frequently.
"I will be more cautious, I use I-40 everyday," she said. "It's scary knowing someone is out there, anything can happen."
Officers trying to determine if shootings linked
Hunter Glass, a private investigator and law enforcement consultant, said the biggest problem facing law enforcement during these types of shootings is trying to "protect citizens from a shadow."
"First order of business would be to see if there is a connection between the victims, and trying to establish a motivation for the crimes," he said.
Keith Stone, the sheriff for Nash County, is no stranger to cases like this. In 2020, the Nash County Sheriff's Office captured a man who raced along I-95, shooting at multiple cars along the interstate. The man led deputies and law enforcement on a chase that spanned multiple counties.
Stone said tips from drivers will play a pivotal role in finding a suspect.
"[It's] a very serious offense, and something needs to happen." he said. "The ability to report crimes right then, and the ability to give good descriptions, that's what solves these cases and makes it possible to stop this stuff quickly."
Suzanne Kennedy, a former reporter from Washington, D.C., said drivers may feel a fear similar to that of 2002 in D.C. – when a man and teen shot and killed 10 people.
"You don't know who they're targeting," she said. "Is it just random? Is it just an overpass from a side roadway [or] a frontage road? You just don't know, and it's the unknown that's terrifying."
Glass also reassured residents that authorities are taking the matter seriously and are taking every step to make sure drivers are safe.
"I have no doubt they are fully engaged in finding the responsible parties," he said. "I would imagine that law enforcement are going all out on intelligence such as street cameras, word on the street and a request for possible witnesses."
Anyone with information is asked to call Raleigh police at 919-996-3335 or by visiting the Crime Stoppers website.