On April 28, 2024, at about 2:02 a.m. Durham police responded to reports of a shooting in a parking lot near West Morgan Street and Watts Street. Officers found 19-year-old Ashir Harrington with a gunshot wound; he was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

Investigators later identified 33-year-old Mychal Quinton Mercer as a suspect and charged him with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, discharging a weapon into occupied property, and injury to personal property. Warrants were issued and Mercer surrendered on August 16, 2024; he was booked into Durham County Jail without bond. Court records say shots were fired into a taco truck on West Main Street and struck a 2020 Jaguar and a 2018 Dodge Charger, and police stated Harrington was not in any of those vehicles. It is unclear whether he was the intended target.

Durham recorded 145 shootings and 21 fatalities through August 10, 2024, with 20 victims aged 18 to 20, highlighting violence affecting young adults. If anyone knew Ashir Harrington or has information about the shooting, please come forward.