74-year-old woman killed by Fourth of July ‘celebratory gunfire,’ North Carolina police say

Authorities say an elderly woman in North Carolina died after she was struck by celebratory gunfire on Fourth of July.

Officers responded to a reported gunshot wound the 500 block of Burlington Avenue around 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 4 and located the victim, identified as 74-year-old Paulette Thorpe. The victim was transported to the hospital where she died a short time later.

Authorities say the shooting was a result of celebratory gunfire and remains under investigation.

“Last night as people throughout Durham peacefully celebrated the July 4th holiday with their friends and family, a small few chose to put our community at risk by carelessly firing guns into the air. This reckless behavior led to the tragic death of Ms. Paulette Thorpe. Ms. Thorpe’s death reminds us that we as a community must work together to prevent these senseless acts, so that no family suffers such a tragedy ever again,” said Durham Police Chief Cerelyn Davis