🌱 Drive-By Shooting In Durham County + Lockdown At Elementary School

Hey, friends! It's Thursday in Durham and I'm back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: Breezy with variable clouds. High: 74 Low: 52.
• Friday: Mostly cloudy and breezy. High: 71 Low: 52.

From our sponsor:

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Here are the top three stories in Durham today:

1. The Durham County Sheriff's Office is investigating a drive-by shooting that occurred early Monday morning on the 3900 block of Dodge Avenue. The incident happened around 4:30 a.m. Residents of a home on Dodge Ave. called 911 when a car drove by and fired dozens of shots, striking cars and the home which had six people inside. There were no reported injuries, and the investigation is ongoing. Sheriff Clarence E. Birkhead said the department is working hard to address the gun violence issues rising in the area. (DCONC.gov)
2. Earlier this week, C.C. Spaulding Elementary School was placed on lockdown after a parent threatened to assault staff members and blow up the school with everyone in it. The incident occurred on Tuesday around 11:00 a.m. after the parent concluded a Zoom call with members of the staff, the parent allegedly called back and then began to make threats. This forced the school to go into a lockdown until everything was checked out and it was deemed safe. Police officers responded to 26-year-old Taqwana Katrel Raiford's home after the incident with warrants for communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property. (CBS17.com)
3. 32-year-old Davonte Little of Durham was arrested last week after being involved in an armed robbery of three different locations, and he is now facing several charges. Little was arrested at the intersection of Elm and Eva Streets for robbing two Circle K gas stations and a Shell gas station, according to Durham police. Little has been held at the Durham County Detention Center since Tuesday, currently with a bond of $75,000. (CBS17.com)

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Today and tomorrow in Durham:

Thursday, May 25

• Vinyl Night With DJ Deckades At Gizmo Brew Works Durham (6:00 PM)

Friday, May 26

• Teen Night: 3 On 3 Basketball At Walltown Park Recreation Center (6:00 PM)
• Free Tour & Tastings At Mystic Farm And Distillery (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• At Monday night's budget Public Hearing at the Board of County Commissioners meeting, more than 20 residents signed up to speak during the session. A highlight of the meeting however was four young residents who took the podium to speak about what they felt were priorities for the budget. Click here to leave comments on the budget process. (DurhamCountyGovernment via Instagram)
• The Triangle Apartment Association spoke with the city of Durham at the City Council meeting and recommended different ways of making multi-family housing more affordable. Listen in on what the housing experts had to say on Bull City Today, available at the link. (City of Durham, NC Government via Facebook)
• Join the LGBTQ Center of Durham and the Durham Bulls for the first pitch of Pride Month. The game is on Jun. 1, and $2 of every ticket purchased at this link goes directly to the Center. (LGBTQ Center of Durham via Facebook)

Alrighty, you're all good for today. See you all soon for another update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.