DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – It was a deadly start to 2019 in Durham.
Three people are dead and two others are hurt in three separate shootings that happened in just 24 hours.
Deadly shootings in Durham cause stress for the community as a whole, including people who deal with the aftermath of the shootings on a daily basis.
“Unexpected loss is always a struggle for people,” said Nina Mason, the director of Ellis D. Jones funeral home in Durham. “It’s a grief that really gives people a hard time.”
As she prepares for a funeral service, she knows it’s possible that she could soon be preparing another one – this time a victim to gun violence.
“It can get very hard on families and in the industry as funeral directors to see these families going through so much, it is stressful,” she said.
Around 5 p.m. Tuesday, police tell CBS 17 Keith Watson, 29, was shot and killed on Larchmont Road.
A few hours later, in a separate shooting, police found Murilio Domingo, 24, and Bertin Mendoza, 26, dead on House Ave.
Mason said it can be overwhelming.
“Sometimes we have to take some time and have self care too.”
Watching families grieve to gun violence, Mason said is one of the hardest things she’s had to deal with.
“My heart just goes out to that family,” she said. “It really does.”
She said her job is to stay as focused as possible on providing support for families that are dealing with the stress that comes with death.
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“They have to deal with people’s opinion on whether or not their child deserved it or not,” she said. “Do you know how stressful that can be? Somebody has an opinion on whether or not your child deserve to die.”
Mason said she’s learned that holding off on judgment really helps families.
No arrests have been made and any of the shootings.
