On the morning of February 8, 2024, at about 6:54 a.m., Durham police were called to the 4500 block of Denfield Street in northern Durham and found 40-year-old Laron Dante Allen with a gunshot wound. Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead at the scene. The investigation initially produced no immediate suspects and authorities described the incident as isolated while asking anyone with information to contact Investigator C. Robinson or CrimeStoppers.

Investigators later made an arrest: on February 29, 2024, 41-year-old Darrell Jermaine Hart was taken into custody in Charlotte by the Carolina Regional Task Force and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and charged with murder in connection with Allen’s death. Reports indicate Hart has a criminal history spanning about two decades and faces separate homicide charges for a killing two days after Allen’s death. Allen’s family and friends remember him as a beloved individual whose life was cut short.

If anyone knew Laron Dante Allen or has information about his death, please contact Investigator C. Robinson or CrimeStoppers.