Durham teen fatally shot as leaders look to curb city's violent crime

Jeremiah Williams’ life was cut short by gunfire.

The 19-year-old is one of 169 people who have been shot this year in Durham through Nov. 11.

Sherard Johnson, a nonprofit president and basketball coach, worked with Williams for eight years.

“He loved life. He loved people. He was loyal. He was genuine and he was a product of his parents,” Johnson said of Williams. “His parents did a phenomenal job raising that young man."

Johnson said Williams was a good basketball player with plans to go to school in January.

"I think that's one of the reasons that haunts me the most, is because I should've got him out of here to play basketball somewhere,” Johnson said. “He shouldn't have been here."

Johnson had not chosen a school, but was looking at a few options. It included the possibility of playing basketball.

Durham leaders to review city’s crime report

On Tuesday, Durham City Council members are set to hear the city’s third-quarter crime statistics.

Williams’ death was one of 35 homicides from January through September this year.

There were also 118 rapes, 366 robberies and 884 aggravated assaults in the city of Durham. Here’s how those figures compare to the first nine months in previous years:

• 2022: 32 homicides, 97 rapes, 465 robberies and 890 aggravated assaults
• 2021: 38 homicides, 91 rapes, 362 robberies and 1,108 aggravated assaults
• Three-year average: 35 homicides, 102 rapes, 398 robberies and 691 aggravated assaults

Here’s a look at property crime for the first nine months of the year:

• 2023: 1,066 burglaries, 5,751 larcenies and 1,459 motor vehicle thefts
• 2022: 922 burglaries, 5,322 larcenies and 570 motor vehicle thefts
• 2021: 1,099 burglaries, 5,408 larcenies and 409 motor vehicle thefts
• Three-year average: 1,029 burglaries, 5,494 larcenies and 836 motor vehicle thefts

Compared to the first ninth months of 2022, the number of shooting incidents is up this year by 17%, while the number of people shot is down 22%.

From June through September, the report shows it took Durham police an average of six minutes and 42 seconds to respond to emergency calls. The department’s targeted response time is five minutes and 48 seconds.

Johnson believes adults in Durham aren't doing enough for the youth who look up to them. He wants to see more partnerships to create opportunities for young people.

“If we can't, as a community, provide services and programs and things for them to do, they're going to revert back to what they see on a daily basis,” Johnson said.

WRAL News reached out to Durham police to ask whether there have been any arrests in Williams’ death. We are waiting to hear back.