Chapel Hill cops arrest suspect in Durham man fatal shooting

Chapel Hill police charged a man Thursday with the death of a Durham man found near the Chapel Ridge apartment complex in January.

Asim Salah McKenzie, 23, of Chapel Hill, is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Marcus Anthony Smith, 24, of Durham. McKenzie is being held at Orange County Jail without bail, Chapel Hill police said in a news release.

The investigation is continuing, they said.

Police found Smith dead Jan. 12 in the 600 block of North Heritage Circle after responding around 2:30 p.m. to a 911 call about the shooting.

It was the second homicide in a week for Chapel Hill police, who also found an Oxford man — K’son Lamoriquia Thorpe, 27 — dead on Jan. 9 in the parking lot of a public housing apartment complex on South Estes Drive Extension.

Thorpe’s body was discovered after someone in the area called 911 around 10:30 p.m., police said.

Two juveniles and an adult male were later arrested. Information about the juvenile suspects has not been released. The adult arrested, Sarod Folly, 20, of Carrboro, is charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy to commit homicide and being an accessory after the fact to a homicide, police have said.

Anyone with information about either case can call 911 or contact the Chapel Hill Police Department at 919-968-2760 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Callers also can leave an anonymous tip with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crimestoppers at 919-942-7515 or online at chapelhillcrimestoppers.com. Information that leads to an arrest could be eligible for a reward up to $2,000.