DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) - Family and friends of a slain man gathered near an Interstate 85 off-ramp at Hillandale Road in Durham Sunday afternoon.
Durham police said they closed the ramp for several hours after they responded to a suspicious vehicle call shortly after 12:50 p.m. When they arrived, officers said they found 34-year-old Reshaun Cates who had been shot and killed inside a blue Honda Accord.
The Honda had at least two bullet holes in the rear passenger window. Cates was targeted in the shooting, police said.
A family member at the scene said Cates was on his way to pick up his son when the shooting happened.
“I was in the grocery store and this older lady said something has happened at Hillandale Road,” said a driver who asked not to be identified.
The woman said she didn’t know Cates but said she stopped out of concern.
“My heart goes out to the family, even though I don’t know them… but my heart goes out to the family because that’s a loved one that’s gone," she said, adding that gun violence in Durham needs to stop.
Friends and family who knew Cates told CBS17 News that he was a father, son, brother and community advocate. A friend of Cates said he was also a violence interrupter for Bull City United -- a group that works to stop shootings from happening in specific neighborhoods in Durham.
CBS 17 News learned Cates had served time in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder and armed robbery charges in 2009.
Family members said Cates was turning his life around.
After a "preliminary" investigation, Durham police said they believed the shooting was not random.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to call Investigator J. Kellar at 919-560-4440 ext. 29306 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.