Suliman Nazir Burnette, an 18-year-old Black male, was shot to death on the evening of August 26, 2025, inside the SureStay Plus by Best Western on Hillsborough Road in Durham while visiting family. Police were called just after 7 p.m.; he died at the scene. The motel’s shattered glass and a taped-off lobby became the backdrop to a crime that shocked relatives and the city’s anti-violence community.

His father, longtime community advocate Abdul Burnette, spoke publicly about Suliman’s bright smile and easy laughter and urged whoever was responsible to be held to account, saying detectives had identified a suspect and asking that person to surrender. Investigators later announced an arrest: on September 12 a 17-year-old, Dwayne Anthony Lovett Jr., was charged with first-degree murder. Court documents said the gunman fired a 9mm handgun into the motel lobby, fatally striking Suliman; Lovett was held on a $1.5 million bond as the Durham Police Department’s probe continued.

If anyone knew Suliman, saw activity around the motel that night, or has information that could help the investigation, please come forward.