A search warrant reveals new details about the evidence that led Durham police to juvenile shooting suspects.
Three people face charges in the July 2023 homicide of a 43-year-old man at a bus stop.
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Jaquari Henderson, 20, was indicted in December 2024 for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was 18 at the time of the murder.
Durham police have filed juvenile petitions for murder and conspiracy to commit murder on two teenagers who are now 14 and 16 years old. They were 13 and 15 at the time of the shooting.
The murder
According to the warrant, the car used in the shooting was stolen in the early morning hours of July 20, 2023, from Ganyard Farm Way.
Later that day around 3:30 p.m., a ShotSpotter alert detected gunshots at 1000 North Miami Boulevard, and a 911 caller described a silver SUV speeding away from the scene.
The victim, Benjamin Morris, was transported to Duke Hospital and died before 4 p.m.
Surveillance video from CSL Plasma nearby shows a gray SUV, with a person later identified as Henderson hanging out of the front right passenger window while firing a handgun.
The video also shows an unnamed juvenile “JR” in the backseat, firing a handgun toward the bus stop.
Authorities found 9-millimeter, .40 and .45 shell casings at the scene.
Instagram videos aid the investigation
Around 3:45 p.m. on July 20, 2023, a public Instagram Live video was recorded. In it, 15-year-old “JR” is in the front seat wearing a hoodie, and an unnamed 13-year-old “RF” is sitting in the backseat.
The two boys pass a black handgun back and forth, making hand gestures simulating the firing of a handgun, while Henderson sits in the driver’s seat, simulating firing a gun.
In addition to the public Instagram Live, the warrant mentions two other Instagram videos.
In one of them, Henderson sits in the driver’s seat of the car, holding a pistol.
In the third video, 13-year-old “RF” sits in the backseat making gang symbols.
“RF extended three fingers of one of his hands while his index finger and thumb touched. This hand sign is known by law enforcement as symbol for the Eight Trey Gangster Crips. RF was ‘wiping his nose’ with his gloved hand's index finger. The ‘wiping your nose’ by extending an index finger or using the slide of gun symbolizes taking out rival gang member through either physical assault or shooting,” the warrant says.
Later in the afternoon of July 20, 2023, a Durham police investigator located the stolen Kia Sorento and tried to issue a traffic stop. The vehicle fled toward Orange County.
In the evening of July 20, an Orange County 911 caller said they witnessed a gun tossed out of a car near MileMarker 166 on Interstate 85.
Durham police searched the area and found a firearm 25 feet from the roadway; they then matched that gun to the firearm visible in the Instagram live video.
At 7:00pm, police located the car on an on-ramp in Hillsborough, about 3.4 miles west of where the gun was recovered. They executed a search warrant on the vehicle and found additional shell casings inside.
Teens accused of crime
Henderson was indicted on his charges in early December. He’s been assigned a public defender, and his next court date is in April.
The cases for the two unnamed juveniles are sealed due to their ages.
It’s another high-profile case with juvenile perpetrators facing consequences.
Earlier this week, a 14-year-old was arrested for the murder of AJ Clendenning.
That 14-year-old is also charged with shooting at a state trooper.
WRAL spoke with Police Chief Patrice Andrews about youth crime days after a 2-year-old was shot.
"I want to see them recognized as the violent people they are, regardless of their age,” Andrews said. “There are 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds out there that are committed to a life of violence, and no matter how much you try to mentor them or how much you try to offer them diversion, they make the decision not to accept that."