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Law

Police Officer Fatally Shoots 34-Year-Old Man In Durham

A picture of lights on a police car.
Alejandro Mejía Greene/JubiloHaku
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Flickr Creative Commons

Updated 10:15 a.m. 11/23/2016

A Durham man was shot and killed by Durham Police Tuesday in a neighborhood east of N.C. Central University.

Frank Clark, 34, died after what Durham Police officials described as a "struggle."

Officers said they heard a gunshot, and then killed Clark. Officials identified the three officers as C.S. Barkley, M.D. Southerland, and C.Q. Goss. Southerland was taken to the hospital for treatment of a leg injury and has been released.

On Tuesday, Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis said officers shot Clark after they said he made a sudden move toward his waistband while being questioned. Spokeswoman Kammie Michael said the three officers were African-American.

Davis said a gun was found next to the body that did not belong to the Durham Police. She said there is no police video of the encounter.

“If there is (civilian video) we are hoping that individuals will provide that footage or information,” she said. “We don't have any dash cam footage and of course we don't have body cameras.”

Durham County commissioners voted Monday night to outfit police officers with body cameras in the future. 

All three officers have been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome.

Chief Davis asked for calm in the community, and said the police had deployed resources in the McDougald Terrace neighborhood, where the shooting occurred.

“We immediately reached out to a couple of the local ministers and also our victim witness unit responded as well we can have open dialogue and conversation about what occurred within the community,” she said.

The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.

Dave DeWitt is WUNC's Supervising Editor for Politics and Education. As an editor, reporter, and producer he's covered politics, environment, education, sports, and a wide range of other topics.
Rebecca Martinez produces podcasts at WUNC. She’s been at the station since 2013, when she produced Morning Edition and reported for newscasts and radio features. Rebecca also serves on WUNC’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) Committee.
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