No Weapons Were Discovered in the Woods Around Thursday, and the person who shot two high school students in Durham on Wednesday is still on the run. Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina, added more security on Thursday after a shooting off campus killed a 17-year-old student and hurt a 15-year-old student.
On Thursday afternoon, Hillside was again put in a “secure status” because police were still looking into what was happening nearby. A spokesperson for Durham Public Schools said that the protected status was taken off without any problems around 2:00 p.m.
The Durham County Sheriff’s Office said they got a tip earlier that weapons might be kept in a wooded area near Hillside. The deputies looked for weapons but didn’t find any. It has been cleaned up.
In a release, the sheriff’s office said, “We encourage students and staff to continue to say something when they see or hear something so that we can investigate,” Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said it might be time to talk more about how technology could help keep students safe.
“I think everything is on the table. Certainly, we have to have conversations with our students, first and foremost, but I think we need to have conversations with our parents,” Birkhead said.
“I think we cannot discount any relevant piece of technology. Again, I’m not trying to throw money at this issue, but I think we have to evaluate where we are. And then we have to evaluate the technology that’s available. Certainly metal detectors is one piece of technology that I think we should consider.”
The mood at school Students said that Thursday was a sad day. Parents were also upset because one of their children had died.
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“Just losing anyone, definitely that saddens our heart. Like I said before my heart goes out to the family. I did not know them personally, but we’re definitely praying for that family because someone did lose their child,” parent Lasandra Mcduffie said.
During Thursday’s city council meeting in Durham, Mayor Elaina O’Neal also had a heavy heart. “Let us get a better world. Picture in our mind a better world for our students here in Durham, particularly Hillside High at this moment, and how we can actually realize that,” she said to the council.
Councilman Leonardo Williams said that the last few days in Durham have been unfortunate. Williams said, “I would like to reaffirm my commitment and others to supporting the effort of saving lives as much as possible,”
The shootings occurred on Riddle Road near Fayetteville Street and American Tobacco Trail on Wednesday around 1 p.m. Both people who were shot were Hillside High School students.
It’s unclear why they were off campus, but the school handbook says that some 11th and 12th graders can get lunch passes to eat elsewhere. The violence is happening as the school prepares to put on a play about gun violence.
The play, State of Urgency, is going to start next Friday. Wendell Tabb, who had just retired as a drama teacher at Hillside, didn’t miss the fact that the shooting happened at the same time as the play.
“The timing of this hit us really hard, which means that the message of the play is so important that we got to get people out. We’ve got to get these young people out to see the play, we’ve got to make sure that the social workers, mental health professionals, law enforcement, be able to have conversations with these young people. It is so needed,” he said.
On Thursday, Dr. Pascal Mubenga, who is in charge of the Durham Public Schools, made the following statement:
“I am heartsick about the loss of one of our students. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers-but we need more than thoughts and prayers. Our students are clamoring for an end to gun violence and our community must come together to deliver it.”
I am heartsick about the loss of one of our students. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers—but we need more than thoughts and prayers. Our students are clamoring for an end to gun violence and our community must come together to deliver it. pic.twitter.com/TErDbvGmlE
— Durham Public Schools (@DurhamPublicSch) February 9, 2023
Principal Dr. William Logan of Hillside High School was supposed to talk about how the school was doing on Thursday. Still, the interview was canceled because the school was put on “secured status” because of a police investigation in the area.
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