Delonta Hart

Delonta Hart, a 16-year-old African-American student at Northern High School in Durham, North Carolina, was remembered by those who knew him as a well-liked and good person. A family friend, David Lynch, described him as "really a good guy." A classmate, Keriyan Allen, recalled Delonta as someone who kept other students in line and couldn't imagine why anyone would want to harm him. The manager of a local convenience store, Shawki Salah, said Delonta had been a frequent visitor to his shop since he was 12 years old. Friends and family held onto hope after he was shot, posting prayers on social media, but their hopes were tragically dashed.

On the afternoon of Monday, December 15, 2014, Delonta was standing in the parking lot of the Two Brothers Convenience Store in the 3300 block of Dearborn Drive, at the corner of Martin Street. Suddenly, gunfire erupted from a passing vehicle in what witnesses and family believed was a drive-by shooting. Delonta was struck in the head. The shooting sent others scrambling for safety; inside the convenience store, the manager and six customers were forced to take cover as bullets pierced the building's walls. One bullet shattered a light fixture, and another tore through a lottery ticket container. "We thought we're the targets and everybody laid down out here," Salah recalled. "It was scary for a minute." Delonta was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. He fought for his life overnight but succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Tuesday, December 16.

The Durham Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. Investigators spent hours at the crime scene near the convenience store, searching for evidence and speaking with witnesses. Then-Police Chief Jose Lopez stated that investigators were following strong leads and expressed confidence that the crime would be solved. "I'm certain there are people out here in this community who know exactly what happened here and who is responsible and we're hopeful that they're going to come out and contact us," Lopez said. Police did not publicly comment on a motive or state whether they believed Delonta was the intended target. A family friend, David Lynch, voiced his belief that Delonta was an innocent bystander. "I believe they were shooting at somebody else," Lynch said. "You can't even really hang outside without worrying about someone shooting."

The shooting occurred during a string of drive-by shootings involving pedestrians in Durham in early December 2014, although police did not publicly confirm if the incidents were related. In the days and months following Delonta's death, his family and friends continued to search for answers. His classmates at Northern High School were devastated, and grief counselors were made available for students. Friends expressed their sorrow on Twitter using the hashtag #riplonta. "He didn't even get to live his life," one person wrote. Classmate Keriyan Allen anticipated that returning to school would be difficult. "It's going to be rough," he said.

As of April 2015, no arrests had been made in the murder of Delonta Hart, and the case remains unsolved. Chief Lopez had appealed to the community's sense of outrage to help solve the crime. "I'm hopeful that the outrage about this violence really starts because we've been hearing a lot of outrage in this country for the past several months," he said. "That outrage really has to turn to the outrage of violence in this city."

The investigation into Delonta Hart's homicide is ongoing. The Durham Police Department urges anyone with information to call them at (919) 560-4440, ext. 29322, or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. A separate tip line was also publicized at 1-866-439-2683.