Man arrested in Durham murder of Morrisville man earlier this month, police say

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A Durham man was arrested on a murder charge Friday after a northeast Durham mid-afternoon deadly shooting earlier this month of a young man from Morrisville, according to police and court documents.

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The incident was reported as a gunshot wound just before 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, in northeast Durham along the 300 block of Melbourne Street near the Ross Road intersection, a Durham Police Department news release said.

When officers responded, they found an injured man nearby in the 2500 block of Ross Road near Junction Road, police said. The wounded man was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, according to officers.

The victim was identified on August 10 as Jamari Sharpe, 21, of Morrisville, police said. Sharpe was a 2023 graduate of Panther Creek High School in Cary, where he was a varsity soccer player in the fullback position, according to Maxpreps.

Sharpe also participated in a North Carolina Football Club soccer academy before he competed for Panther Creek High School.

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A warrant for the arrest of Rafael Amir McClain was issued on August 11, according to documents filed by Durham police.

McClain, 22, of the 300 block of Melbourne Street, was arrested on a murder charge early Friday afternoon, according to Durham County Sheriff’s Office records and an arrest warrant.

A conditions of release order said McClain was on pretrial release when the deadly shooting took place.

McClain was held without bond in the Durham County Jail, court records indicate.

McClain’s first court appearance is scheduled for late Monday morning in Durham County District Court.

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