Recent shooting at NCCU has students concerned about safety

Students at North Carolina Central University are concerned about their safety as crime continues to rise in Durham.

University leaders and students are calling on the city to help curb the violence. It was just two weeks ago when a stray bullet struck a dorm room window on Fayetteville Street. It was a traumatic moment as Kenneccia Woolard reflected on when she heard gunshots outside her residence hall.

“As I was about to turn and open the window to see what was going on, that’s when I was just blown away with glass," said Woolard.

She was injured by the shattered glass from the bullet that struck her window.

“I Just wanted to live. I was like just get to the floor," she said.

More than two weeks after the incident, students and faculty at NCCU will meet with city leaders to discuss crime near campus. Students said they're already stressed about coronavirus, and now violence close to campus is adding another cause for concern.

The university will speak with Durham city leaders at 1 p.m. on Monday in hopes of finding a solution to reduce crime.

In addition to the Sept. 19 stray bullet incident, which left one student injured, other recent shootings have taken place just miles from campus.

The school community said they plan to propose more patrol cars and cameras around the outskirts of campus.

Woolard said her incident was the last straw for her and university leaders. At Thursday's city council work session, Chancellor Johnson Akinleye demanded more support from the city.

“Doing nothing at all is not an option. I’m asking you to take this as an urgent call to action," he said.

Akinleye made five recommendations to help protect students. They include more officers to patrol the area around campus, speed bumps on surrounding streets and shot spotters alerting authorities to gunfire.

"It’s an eye-opener. I think there should be these precautions taken to make sure everything is better," said Neco Dawson, also a NCCU student.

Most students believe the university police officers are doing all they can. Monitoring 11 resident halls and over 2,800 students is a hefty task.

"I think they’re doing their best to make sure everyone does feel safe and everyone is where they need to be," said Gloria Truitt, a NCCU student.

Durham police said there have been 737 shootings in the past year. Students like Woolard believe the pandemic and their studies are more than enough stress to deal with and that the crime just needs to stop.

“There are some nights where it’s hard to sleep. Just a little tap on the window shakes me up," Woolard said.

Woolard has since moved to a new dorm room that faces the inner parts of campus. Akinleye mentioned a $3 million investment in campus security that's been made already.

Akinleye said he hopes Durham Mayor Steve Schewel and city leaders will truly look over his proposals carefully and come to a decision soon.