Durham police stretched thin during severe weather, 3 shootings Monday night

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— The Durham Police Department responded to severe weather and three shootings on Monday night.

Some residents told WRAL News they were unhappy about police’s response times. A Southside Tobacco and Vape shop employee said it took police 20 minutes to arrive to the shooting, which happened around 7:30 p.m. Monday.

It was the third violent incident in Durham on Monday: There was a shooting on Ridgeway Avenue around 6:45 p.m. and another on North Carolina Highway 55 around 5:40 p.m.

Durham Fraternal Order of Police spokesperson Larry Smith said the response time isn’t surprising given the timing and severe weather.

“Trying to cover those calls for service, trying to work a shooting at rush-hour traffic, it’s going to be a big task,” Smith said.

Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews told the city council last week the department is not meeting its target response time of 5.8 minutes. The department has an average response time of 6.07 minutes so far in 2022, according to Andrews.

“We want to create ways in which we can respond quicker and figure out why we aren’t able to respond to calls under our target time,” Andrews said.

On Monday night, the Durham Police Department wasn’t at full staffing.

According to the Fraternal Order of Police, 49% of the positions on Monday’s day shift were filled. With the addition of officers willing to work extra shifts, the number went up to 61%.

Some 46% of positions on the nightshift were filled. Supplemental staffing brought that number up to 69%.

Smith said he was surprised the numbers were so low.

“Yeah, when those were sent to me, I was like, ‘Wow, those are pretty low,’” Smith said.

Smith said the staffing issue is traced back to vacancies. The department does not have a quick fix.

“We didn’t get in this hole overnight,” Smith said. “We’re not going to get out of it overnight.”

The employee at Southside Tobacco and Vape did not want to speak with WRAL News on camera, but said the continued violence is unacceptable. The employee said it’s not the first time the doors of the establishment has been shot out. The employee said it would cost $800 to replace it.