Police say fatal shooting on Revere Road stems from domestic dispute
Durham — A 43-year-old woman was killed and another woman was wounded Saturday afternoon after someone fired into a vehicle on Revere Road in the Parkwood neighborhood, Durham police said. Neighbors described a quiet residential street shocked by the violence.
Police identified the woman who died as Victoria James, 43, of Durham. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second woman in the car was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 16-year-old boy who was also in the vehicle was not hurt, authorities said.
Durham police arrested Lontrel Alston, 38, of Durham, and charged him in connection with the incident. According to the Durham Police Department, the shooting is an isolated incident and the result of a domestic dispute between people who had been in a relationship.
- Victim: Victoria James, 43, pronounced dead at the scene.
- Shooter: Lontrel Alston, 38, arrested and charged.
- Additional victims: one woman transported with non-life-threatening injuries; one 16-year-old male uninjured.
Neighbors described alarm at seeing violence in a normally quiet area. Barbara Sanders, who lives on Revere Road, said she heard gunfire and saw a man run from the area near a vehicle where two women appeared to be in distress. Sanders, who said she has lived on the street for more than 50 years, called 911.
"I've lived here over 50 years, and I've never seen anything like that," Sanders said.
Authorities said they located and arrested Alston on Saturday. The Durham Police Department listed the charges against Alston as first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, habitual misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor discharge of a weapon into occupied property. The department has said the investigation is ongoing.
| Charge | Description |
|---|---|
| First-degree murder | Fatal shooting resulting in death of Victoria James |
| Assault with a deadly weapon (two counts) | Alleged shootings that caused injury or risked injury to occupants |
| Habitual misdemeanor assault | Previous assault-related convictions elevating charge |
| Misdemeanor discharge into occupied property | Alleged firing of a weapon into an occupied vehicle or area |
Family members and those close to James said the aftermath has left her children without either parent. A woman who spoke to reporters on the family's behalf, identified as Betty Carter, said James' children were in the car at the time of the shooting and that their father died years earlier of illness.
Durham police remained on the scene for several hours Saturday as investigators processed evidence and cleared the area. The department stressed the incident appeared to be isolated rather than part of a broader pattern of neighborhood criminal activity.
Officials have not released additional details about what led up to the shooting, the exact sequence of events inside the vehicle or whether investigators recovered a weapon at the scene. They said they will release more information when appropriate as the investigation continues.
The arrest and charges bring a criminal case into the court system that will proceed under local and state procedures. As investigators and prosecutors prepare files, community members and neighbors said they are trying to come to terms with the loss and the disruption to a neighborhood they described as close-knit.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked by police to contact Durham law enforcement. No further public timetable for court appearances or additional announcements has been provided.
