Bullets flew on Oct. 26 in the parking lot of a crowded Crabtree Valley Mall. Nearly two dozen cars were hit, but fortunately no one was hurt.

Cathie Holman Croitz told WRAL Investigates about the damage to her brother’s car while he was inside working.

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"There were bullets in windshield, back window, roof, one in the door, another in the trunk," she said.

Three men from Durham now face charges.

During the initial court appearance of one of the suspects, Assistant District Attorney Matt Lively described the seriousness of the situation, telling the court, "He put the safety of all the residents of Wake County at great risk basically with a cowboy style gunfight at Crabtree Mall."

Earlier this year, more than a dozen homes were broken into in and around Cary, rattling homeowners.

"They somehow managed to break the screen. You can see the broken screen outside still," victim Vikash Rakhecha said at the time.

Another homeowner, Nivee Sankaran, said the break-ins took an emotional toll.

"We feel really vulnerable," Sankaran said.

Months after the break-ins, WRAL Investigates returned to one neighborhood where at least four homes were hit. A woman who was home when the thieves broke into her house says she’s still shaken. She also told us a number of neighbors added security systems after the crimes. Two young men, both from Durham, are now charged with those home break-ins.

Over the summer, a Durham man, Phillip Brewer is accused of leading police on a chase that ended with a crash. Brewer's also suspected of stealing from a Wake Forest Walmart prior to the chase.

The high-profile incidents prompted WRAL Investigates to examine the number of crimes committed in western Wake County by people from Durham. The numbers appear to show the crime connections are more than a coincidence. Instead, it’s a trend.

From 2019 through September 2024, arrest data from the Wake County Sheriff's Office and police from Raleigh, Apex, Cary, Holly Springs and Morrisville saw a 35% increase in charges against people from Durham.

That's compared to a 15% increase for all charges in the entire county over the same time frame.

Drilling down further, Cary and Morrisville have experienced the biggest impact of crimes committed by people from Durham-- up 150% in Cary since 2019 and up 65% in Morrisville.

Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams was critical of a WRAL Investigates story that highlighted arrest data from Wake County agencies showing an increase in charges filed against people from Durham for Wake County crimes. Williams said he felt the story misrepresented Durham.

The mayor also pointed out Raleigh has crime too, WRAL Investigates checked those numbers. People from Raleigh committed more crimes (491) in Cary and Morrisville from January 1, 2024, through September 17, 2024, compared to Durham residents (387).

Considering Raleigh’s population (186,000 larger) and closer to proximity to Cary and Morrisville, the raw numbers aren’t surprising.

However, it’s the trend of more crime coming from Durham compared to the capital city that we highlighted.

From 2019 to 2024, the percentage of crimes committed by Raleigh residents in Cary and Morrisville rose 40% (491 in 2024 versus 351 in 2019). In that same time frame, charges against Durham residents in those towns rose 110% (387 in 2024 versus 184 in 2019).

WRAL Investigates also contacted Durham police about the findings.

In an email response, the agency wrote, "The Durham Police Department consistently works with neighboring law enforcement agencies when conducting criminal investigations and sharing criminal intelligence information."