Kristopher Cruz, 28, killed; woman critically injured in Wake County shooting

Deputies found a 28-year-old man dead and a woman with life-threatening injuries after a shooting at a home on Damascus Drive in Wake County, near Wendell, authorities said. The man was later identified as Kristopher Cruz; the woman’s name has not been released.

Emergency dispatch records and aerial coverage show the response unfolded Thursday morning. Dispatch audio indicates a 911 call came in just before 9 a.m., and Sky 5 flew over the scene around 9:45 a.m., where crime scene tape blocked part of the street and multiple law enforcement vehicles were parked. Accounts vary on the exact block number reported by news outlets, which listed the location as the 1200 or 1240 block of Damascus Drive and one report referenced Ridgehaven Drive as a nearby cross street.

Radio traffic captured at the scene described a female victim with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. “We got a report of one female shot gunshot wound to the shoulder,” the radio traffic said, and responders reported the woman was “conscious and alert ... gunshot wound to the shoulder.” Dispatch recordings also include a dispatcher saying, “Possibly a domestic where a subject may have shot another,” and a neighbor report to 911 was referenced in the same recordings. Authorities have not confirmed publicly whether the shooting is being investigated as a domestic incident.

Wake County Sheriff’s Office officials said no one was in custody and that “While no one is in custody at this time, there is no active search for a suspect.” Investigators at the scene collected evidence and the agency described the matter as an active investigation. Deputies and investigators continue working to determine the full sequence of events, what weapon or weapons were involved, and whether any additional witnesses or surveillance footage can shed light on what happened.

The deaths and injuries in a residential neighborhood underscore ongoing public safety concerns for residents in Wendell-area communities and for neighbors who reported hearing arguing and emergency activity. Local leaders and law enforcement face questions about how quickly help arrived, how dispatch handled the call, and whether more preventive measures or community resources are needed to reduce similar incidents.

Anyone with information that could assist investigators is asked to call the Wake County Sheriff’s Office at 919-856-6911. The investigation remains active, and authorities have indicated they will release more details as they are able.