RALEIGH, N.C. _ Durham Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis has posted on Facebook an explanation for an Aug. 21 incident in which officers drew their guns on a 15-year-old boy. She also said an internal investigation of the incident is underway.
In her post on Sunday, Davis said officers had received "weapons-related calls" at an address on Rochelle Street in Durham. Later in the day, they were called to the same address to investigate a "suspicious person with a weapon" call, the chief said. She said the caller reported there was a male who had a gun and drugs and was believed to have been involved in a prior shooting.
"Upon their arrival, Durham police officers believed an individual behind the building was the suspect. It was not until the young man was detained that officers realized he was not the suspect, but rather, a 15-year-old resident of Rochelle Manor," the chief wrote Sunday. "Given the nature of the call, officers did have weapons initially drawn; however, they were holstered upon realizing that the detained individual was not the suspect.
"Based on preliminary review of video footage, guns were not pointed at the heads of any individual on the scene," the chief said.
"Regrettably, an 8-year-old had witnessed the incident," the post continues. "I met with the families immediately following the incident and have had conversations with them in the last couple of days."
Davis acknowledged that she had received numerous calls about the incident from people in the community, and that it happened at a time when many people are calling for closer scrutiny of how police interact with "communities of color."
"DPD's goal is to improve our relationships with the community by leading with and implementing reforms that promote a safe and trusting environment," Davis wrote.
"A thorough internal investigation is underway, and I, as Chief, have expressed to the families my sincere remorse that this incident even occurred," Davis said. "DPD remains committed to responding to all our residents' public safety needs with the utmost care and concern for everyone involved. We are not a perfect police department, but to become better, we must continue to strengthen our relationship with the community through partnerships and trust, which has already begun with residents and leaders in this particular community and throughout the city."
Davis' post brought a mixed response on Facebook that included several people thanking the chief for the post and others excoriating her for suggesting that the situation was ameliorated because the officers didn't point weapons at a child's head.
"Does it matter what part of the body the guns were aimed at?" asked a commenter. Please stop being so desensitized to guns that you think any outrage should be quelled by this statement. Having guns pointed at you in any situation, but especially in this one, is traumatizing. Period. Do better, DPD."
