Crime
Niyanna Autry Dies After Being Hit by Multiple Vehicles on I-40 East Near Raleigh-Durham Airport
DURHAM, N.C. — A woman identified as Niyanna Autry was found dead on Interstate 40 East near Raleigh-Durham International Airport after being struck by multiple vehicles, prompting a major police investigation and hours-long highway closures early Friday morning.
According to Durham police, officers responded at approximately 1:30 a.m. to a report of a pedestrian being struck on I-40 East near Davis Drive. When officers arrived, they found the woman dead at the scene.
Investigators said the woman had been struck multiple times by vehicles whose identities were unknown at the time of the report.
The incident led authorities to close a busy stretch of eastbound I-40 while officers investigated the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death. The closure caused significant traffic congestion during the early morning hours, affecting commuters traveling through the Raleigh-Durham area.
The affected section of Interstate 40 East was closed for approximately one mile, between Exit 280 at Davis Drive and Exit 281 for South Miami Boulevard.
The closure began before the morning commute and remained in place for several hours as investigators worked at the scene.
Traffic delays extended beyond I-40 and affected Interstate 885, creating substantial backups for drivers traveling through the area.
WRAL’s Breaking News Tracker arrived at the scene before 4 a.m. and observed multiple officers blocking the interstate while the investigation continued. Reporters were not permitted to approach the scene.
By approximately 6 a.m., traffic congestion had intensified as commuters encountered the highway closure.
WRAL reporter Shaun Gallagher reported that the miles-long backups resembled the traffic conditions typically seen around 8:30 a.m. rather than the lighter traffic normally expected at 6 a.m.
The disruption affected motorists traveling toward Raleigh-Durham International Airport and other destinations along the busy interstate corridor.
Authorities gradually reopened the highway as the investigation progressed.
At approximately 8 a.m., at least one lane of eastbound I-40 had reopened, allowing traffic to begin moving again.
By approximately 8:30 a.m., all eastbound lanes had reopened, ending the hours-long closure between Davis Drive and South Miami Boulevard.
Although the reopening restored traffic flow, the incident caused significant delays during the morning commute.
Durham police said the woman had been struck by multiple vehicles, but the drivers involved were not identified in the information provided for this report.
Additional details about the events leading up to the incident, whether the woman was walking along or attempting to cross the interstate, and whether any drivers remained at the scene were not provided.
Authorities had not released further information about the investigation in the supplied report.
The circumstances surrounding Niyanna Autry’s death remain an important part of the investigation as authorities work to establish what happened before and after she was struck.
Crime
46-year-old building manager James Stuart killed in shooting at VIDA Fitness gym in Washington Logan Circle neighborhood
Washington, D.C. police have released additional details about a deadly shooting near Logan Circle that left one person dead and four others injured.
Interim Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Jeffery Carroll confirmed that the victim killed in the incident was identified as 46-year-old James Stuart, a building manager from Northwest Washington, D.C.
According to police, the shooting began inside VIDA Fitness, where the suspect allegedly shot Stuart with a handgun. The gunman then returned to his nearby apartment, located on the seventh floor of a building, and opened fire with a rifle from his private balcony or patio, striking four people below near Church Street, 15th Street and a nearby alley.
Two women and two men were wounded in the street shooting. One victim remains in critical condition, while the other three are expected to survive.
MPD and federal law enforcement officers responded within minutes, possibly seconds, of the initial reports. Witnesses and nearby residents helped investigators quickly identify the suspect’s apartment, allowing officers to locate the source of the gunfire.
Police said the suspect fired through the apartment door at members of MPD’s Emergency Response Team on two separate occasions. He subsequently damaged a gas line, intentionally started a fire inside the apartment and turned the gun on himself. Officers later forced their way into the apartment and found him dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities identified the suspect as 55-year-old Matt Wade Lambert, who lived in Northwest Washington, D.C.
Investigators recovered three firearms inside the apartment: a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun. Police believe the suspect used all three weapons during the incident, and preliminary findings indicate that at least some level of planning may have been involved.
According to information provided by police, the suspected motive may have been connected to an ongoing dispute between Lambert and his condominium homeowners association (HOA) management. The disagreement reportedly involved building maintenance and mold issues, along with a lawsuit Lambert had filed. During negotiations with police, much of the conversation reportedly centered on his dispute with the HOA.
Authorities also confirmed that Lambert did not have any firearms registered to him in Washington, D.C. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating how and when he obtained the three weapons.
Police said they have not identified any known connection between Lambert and the four people shot outside the building.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to establish the complete circumstances, timeline and motive behind the deadly shooting.