{"id":4915,"date":"2026-07-03T23:36:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4915"},"modified":"2026-07-03T23:36:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:36:51","slug":"durham-police-crack-down-on-celebratory-gunfire-after-two-women-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4915","title":{"rendered":"Durham police crack down on \u2018celebratory gunfire\u2019 after two women died"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) \u2014 Some of the loud bangs people hear throughout this Fourth of July weekend might not be fireworks.<\/p>

Read more Lionel Messi scores 20th World Cup goal, extends streak to 8 games and takes Golden Boot lead<\/a><\/p>\n

The Durham Police Department said that people participate in \u201ccelebratory gunfire\u201d every year, posing a major threat to the community.<\/p>\n

Paulette Thorpe, 74, was killed by a stray bullet in Durham on Independence Day in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s two things you learn when you\u2019re a youth,\u201d\u00a0Thorpe\u2019s nephew Carlos Lyons said.\u00a0\u201cYou learn right from wrong, and you learn what goes up must come down. So whoever shot the bullet, they didn\u2019t care about either of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next year, \u201ccelebratory gunfire\u201d killed 73-year-old Delores Burwell on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n

\n
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\"Delores<\/figure>\n
Delores Burwell, left, and Paulette Thorpe, right. (Thorpe and Burwell families)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s best to just shoot fireworks instead of firearms,\u201d\u00a0Burwell\u2019s granddaughter Tyeshia Walters said. \u201cBecause my grandmother, we lost a very great woman through gun violence, somebody\u2019s stupidity shooting in the air. Regardless of where you shoot that gun in the air, the bullet has to come down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, police are reminding people of the dangers and consequences of shooting guns into the air. Investigators said a large portion of Durham\u2019s gunfire calls occur on or around major holidays.<\/p>

Read more Flyers sign Ducks center Carlsson to 5-year, $90 million offer sheet; Anaheim has 7 days to match<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to have an impact on the family and friends of anybody that\u2019s struck or hurt or killed by the gunfire, and now that holiday is marred forever by that one moment in time,\u201d DPD Captain Randall Packard said.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/figure>\n
A crime scene in Durham with a firework going off in the background. (CBS 17)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Durham police are telling the public to find cover if they hear shots and call 911 if they see someone participating in \u201ccelebratory gunfire.\u201d<\/p>

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\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDurham police cracking down on \u2018celebratory gunfire\u2019\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<\/h3>\n\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s still property damage, and now kids are going to be in fear because people are shooting outside, so they can\u2019t be outside and enjoy the holiday, or their house gets struck or their car gets struck,\u201d Packard said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to create a fear and just an unnecessary sense of fear and danger in the community that just doesn\u2019t need to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone in Durham who is caught firing a gun into the air could be charged with a class 3 misdemeanor and face a fine of up to $500.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust please, my advice is please do not shoot any guns,\u201d Walters said. \u201cThat\u2019s my advice. Please, no guns. No guns at all.\u201d<\/p>

Read more US striker Balogun says a yellow card, not red card, would have been \u2018fair\u2019 at the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Durham Police Department said that people participate in “celebratory gunfire” every year, posing a major threat to the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDurham police crack down on \u2018celebratory gunfire\u2019 after two women died - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4915\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Durham police crack down on \u2018celebratory gunfire\u2019 after two women died - 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