Durham officer on shooting: 'It appeared to be an ambush'

The officer, whose name hasn't been released, wasn't wounded in the shooting, which occurred shortly before noon near the intersection of South Street and Scout Drive.

"Multiple shots fired on the southside South Street by Scout," the officer told a dispatcher. "My car was hit by gunfire. Multiple shots. About, uh, about, uh, good 15 or 20 were fired and struck my vehicle."

When asked to describe the shooter, the officer said he couldn't, and he warned other officers responding to the area.

"Multiple shots fired. I could hear them hitting my car in the back," he said. "All officers responding to the area be careful. It appeared to be an ambush."

Police Chief Jose Lopez on Wednesday agreed with the ambush assessment, saying the officer was clearly targeted. Even though the patrol car bore no Durham Police Department markings, it had an antenna and a state license plate indicative of a police car, he said.

"It was not by chance that they were apparently shooting at someone else. They were clearly shooting at this vehicle," Lopez said, calling it "a highly serious situation."

Another officer reported finding shell casings at the intersection of South and Bond streets and said a city worker saw two men in a silver car, possibly a Honda, leaving the area around the time of the shooting, according to police radio traffic.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call Durham police at 919-560-4415, extension 29306, or Crime Stoppers at 919-683-1200.