Angel Caneles Quintana was 16 when he was fatally shot the night of March 21, 2023, near Hudson Avenue and North Buchanan Boulevard in Durham, North Carolina. A student at Riverside High School, Angel was one of two teenagers killed in the incident; the other victim was 16-year-old Osmar Burgos Banegas, a Lakeview School student. A third 16-year-old male suffered life-threatening wounds but was later reported in stable condition after treatment.

Durham Police responded to shooting reports around 10:30 p.m. on March 21 and discovered the injured teen, who indicated there might be more victims. A search using drones and a cadaver dog located Angel and Osmar’s bodies early the next morning; both were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities arrested 18-year-old Jorge Raul Benitez-Mendoza later that day and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder; the preliminary investigation suggested the shootings were not random and family members said the teenagers were friends.

This shooting came amid a spike in youth violence in Durham in 2023 and prompted calls from community leaders for more mental health services, mentoring, and stricter gun control. If anyone knew Angel or has information about what happened that night, please come forward.