Alleged Crabtree Valley Mall Shooter Indicted for Possessing a Firearm and Ammo as a Convicted Felon (DOJ)

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="RALEIGH" datavalue="RALEIGH"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GREENVILLE" datavalue="GREENVILLE"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="NEW BERN" datavalue="NEW BERN"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="WILMINGTON" datavalue="WILMINGTON"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="ELIZABETH CITY" datavalue="ELIZABETH CITY">RALEIGH, N.C. - On November 21, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Durham man after allegedly being involved in an October shootout at Crabtree Valley Mall.

"The holiday season is a time for peace on earth - not shootouts in the parking deck," said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. "Our Violent Crime Team is working even more closely with local law enforcement this holiday, including using federal tools to keep our community safe."

According to the indictment and information presented to the court, Jamarion Burton, 22, allegedly possessed a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon when he engaged in a shootout with another group of individuals at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh on October 26, 2024. The Raleigh Police Department (RPD) quickly responded to the scene where the shooting occurred and apprehended one suspect. After speaking to multiple witnesses and viewing surveillance footage from the mall, RPD allegedly identified Burton and learned that he and his companion had gotten into a verbal altercation with another group of individuals while inside the mall. The alleged altercation continued into the parking deck where both groups exchanged gunfire. Upon law enforcement arriving, Burton's group allegedly fled the scene. Burton was later apprehended in Durham by the RPD with the assistance of the Durham Police Department. Burton had one of the firearms allegedly used in the mall shooting on his person at the time of his arrest.

Burton is charged with one count of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison.

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

It is also a case that is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and RPD are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaren E. Kelly is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.