History of violent crime at apartment complex gives NCCU students cause for concern
Two people were shot Friday morning at the Cadence at RTP apartments on Durham's East Cornwallis Road. Raheem Sharaf Clark Jr, 21, died of his wounds. The name of the other person shot was not released, nor was that person's condition.
Resident Matthew Phillips told WRAL News that he heard multiple gun shots.
"It was a loud banging noise," he said. "I literally thought it was somebody working on the gate."
The same complex was the site of a home invasion and shooting in February, in which two people were killed.
"It’s just same old, same old, all over again. Literally something else happened like a month ago," Phillips said.
Under a previous name, Campus Crossings, the complex has been the scene of a variety of violent crimes, including the shooting death of a North Carolina Central University football player in 2020 and the 2018 shooting death of an NCCU student by a security guard who was patrolling the complex parking lot. Denita Monique Smith was shot in the head in a complex stairwell in 2010, a crime found to have been committed by a romantic rival.
The Cadence at RTP property management team said that there are surveillance cameras and "courtesy officers" on the property 24 hours a day, and that residents are subject to a background check before they sign a lease.
Cadence at RTP plans to add a gated entry and require that any non-residents be escorted by a resident while on the property.
The majority of residents of the apartments are college students. The complex is about two miles away from North Carolina Central University and five miles away from Duke University.
On the NCCU campus Friday, students who spoke to WRAL News were aware of the complex and said they chose not to live there.
"It’s something always going on over there," said junior Javonta Hines.
Senior Victoria Smith said she chose to live on campus because it's safer.
"I know a lot of people that don’t choose to stay over there because they think it’s too dangerous or it’s not really safe enough for them," she said.
Because of the student population, Hines said she would hope that NCCU would get involved, even though the university does not own or operate the apartments.
"It’s a sad situation knowing that there are so many students are over there. You would think that they would care a little more about safety, especially being so close to the school," she said.
