Roderick Lynn Butler, a 39-year-old African American male, was fatally shot on the evening of June 26, 2007, at his residence on Burlington Avenue in Durham, North Carolina. According to police reports, Butler answered a knock at his door shortly before 9 p.m. and was confronted by two men—one wearing a red shirt and the other a white shirt—who shot him and fled the scene. Butler was transported to Duke University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
At the time of the incident, authorities had limited information about the assailants, with only their clothing descriptions available. The Durham Police Department did not release any further details regarding potential suspects or motives. As of the latest available information, there have been no arrests made in connection with Butler's homicide, and the case remains unsolved.
Butler's death was part of a broader pattern of violent incidents in Durham during that period. Data from the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System indicates that, between 2007 and 2016, Durham County experienced a significant number of homicides, with African American males disproportionately affected. Specifically, non-Hispanic Black males had a homicide rate of 21.6 per 100,000 population, compared to 2.6 for non-Hispanic white males.
Roderick Lynn Butler was born in 1968 and is interred at Glennview Memorial Park in Durham, North Carolina. His untimely death remains a poignant reminder of the unresolved cases that continue to impact families and communities. The Durham Police Department continues to seek information that could lead to the resolution of this case.
