An investigating is underway after a shooting left two teens dead and another injured and have made at least one arrest.
Police announced late Wednesday they’ve arrested 18-year-old Jorge Raul Benitez-Mendoza of Durham in the investigation.
Mendoza is facing charges of 2 counts of first-degree murder and 1 count of attempted first-degree murder.
The investigation began around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday when officers responded to Leon Street where it was reported that a 16-year-old had been shot.
The teen’s parents took him to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The 16-year-old reported that there may have been two people who had been shot.
Overnight, Durham Fire Department used a drone for several hours and Durham County Sheriff’s Office sent out a cadaver dog to search the area. Two 16-year-old males were later found dead near the intersection of Hudson Avenue and North Buchanan Boulevard, shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Family members identified one of the two teens killed as Riverside High School student Angel Canales, 16.
“Good heart and sweet,” one family member described him.
“When the mom came out, it just crushed me. I felt her pain,” Jackson said. “It’s heartbreaking and my heart goes out to her, the father and the family … It’s a hard pill to swallow.”
The triple shooting comes one month after a 17-year-old Hillside High School student was killed in a double shooting off campus.
This makes at least 13 people under 18 who were shot this year, according to Durham Police. It’s a staggering number some Durham residents say they can’t take in.
“That’s somebody’s kids, brothers and sisters man,” Robert McIntyre said. “They’re 16, what could you be doing at 16 to really get you killed out here?”
Joy Haywood, she’s concerned about the recent uptick in shootings involving young people.
“When you’re that age you don’t get it,” Haywood said. “You don’t fully grasp the concept that comes after. You’re so quick to react, you’re so quick to anger. I’m concerned that it’s just going to continue. It’s really important to get your mental health, it’s important for the community to get involved, it’s important for everyone to be mindful and watch out and guard each other cause this is unacceptable.”
According to Durham Public Schools (DPS), two of the teens involved attended Riverside High and one attended Lakeview School.
Durham Public Schools sent ABC11 a copy of the email sent to parents this morning: While we are limited in the information that we can share due to privacy laws protecting students and their families, as well as due to an active police investigation, we are saddened to share that two Riverside students and one Lakeview student were the victims of gun violence last night in an off-campus incident.
Durham Public Schools counselors and support staff are available at Riverside and Lakeview to provide additional care for students and staff who have learned about this tragedy. We are committed to our schools being safe and secure places where Durham’s children and youth learn, grow, and receive social-emotional support in the face of adversity.
We call on our community, once again, to stand against gun violence. We must counter the easy availability of weapons and provide opportunities and social support networks for our youth, so that violence is unthinkable and hope is universal. We call on the people of Durham County to join our students in this cause.
Durham Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton released the following statement: “In my time as a public official I have received many reports and briefings about troubling things. But today I don’t think I have ever felt more devastated and sickened by what our city has learned about the death of these babies. There can be no full throated, enthusiastic celebration of the greatness of Durham until the most vulnerable and powerless of our neighbors are safe. Who are more vulnerable than our children? This is a heartbreakingly dark day for our city. Our love and our city’s heartbeat belongs to the families of those children.”
Police say the shooting does not appear to be random.
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