Woman shot to death in crowded Durham nightlife district

A woman was shot and killed Sunday in Durham.

Durham police said officers responded to the sound of gunshots shortly before 1 a.m. on West Morgan Street at Watts Street.

A woman with gunshot wounds, identified as Twanda Shante Parker, 24, of Durham, was transported to a local hospital, where she died.

A large police response and sprawling search area could be seen in the area as the investigation unfolded.

Many residents said they were surprised the shooting happened so close to a popular nightlife district in the city, adding the area has an active bar scene on the weekends.

"There were just tons of people all over getting food and everything," Cynthia Chang said. "I'm still kind of in shock that that actually happened [and] we weren't in it just a few minutes before."

Police are still working to identify a suspect.

Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to call Investigator B. Garth at 919-560-4440 ext. 29313 or Crime Stoppers at 919-683-1200.