Tragic Turn: Stepfather Fatally Shot While Breaking Up Teen Sibling Clash

A North Carolina dad was allegedly shot dead by his 14-year-old stepson while trying to break up a fight between the young teen and his daughter, according to local reports.

Gary Tharrington, 34, was shot at least five times inside a Durham apartment Monday afternoon after stepping in to stop the heated clash that erupted over a shirt, devastated family members told WNCN.

The teen then jumped out of a window and bolted from the scene, while his stepfather was rushed to a local hospital and pronounced dead. 

“People losing lives over here for nothing,” one witness told the outlet. 

“Over a shirt, and over a fight.”

Neighbor Shamiya Richardson said the victim’s other children came running to her house after the gunshots rang out, calling the situation “shocking,” WTVD reported.

The accused teen shooter was arrested several hours later, with police crediting the community for helping track him down. 

“The Durham Police Department would like to thank the community members who came forward with information and assisted investigators,” cops said in a statement.

“Their willingness to provide timely information was instrumental in helping officers quickly locate the suspect.”

Police said the fatal shooting was the second to rock the area Monday.

Shocked neighbors remembered Tharrington as a devoted father who had big plans for the future, the outlet reported.

“Gary was just a good man,” Richardson said. 

The investigation is ongoing.