The shooting of a North Carolina 16-year-old Tuesday night prompted an overnight drone search for two other victims whose bodies were found behind a middle school by morning.
The investigation began shortly after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when officers responded to the 1200 block of Leon Street in Durham, where it was reported that a juvenile male had been shot.
The 16-year-old boy's parents transported him to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.
The teen said there may have been two additional victims who had been shot, prompting an extensive overnight search. The Durham Fire Department deployed a drone for several hours and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office sent out their cadaver dog, the Durham Police Department said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday morning.
The bodies of two additional 16-year-old boys were found shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Hudson Avenue and North Buchanan Boulevard, which is behind Brogden Middle School. Emergency Medical Services responded and pronounced both juvenile victims deceased on the scene. The teens have yet to be identified.
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"Based on our preliminary investigation, the shooting does not appear to be random," police said. "This is an active investigation and no further details are available at this time."
The middle school was temporarily placed on secure status Wednesday morning as police were investigating. It's no longer on secure status.
The surviving 16-year-old male is in stable condition, police said.
Police said anyone with information on the shootings is asked to call Investigator J.D. Harris at (919) 560-4440, ext. 29120, or reach out to CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
Fox News' Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.
