Then someone upstairs screamed.

A bullet went through a wall and struck McGee's 26-year-old niece. She was lying on a bed when it pierced her leg. McGee's 12-year-old nephew had just left the room when the shooting started.

It was the first of two reports of drive-by gunfire on the 100 block of South Elm Street on the night of June 27. More shooting followed about two hours later, then more two days later. In total, six homes, three vehicles and McGee's niece were hit by bullets.

What's not surprising are the suspects: three young black males, two of them 16 years old and the third 20.

With their arrests, the trio became part of two consistent realities in Durham: Teenagers and young adults aged 16 to 25 account for a disproportionate share of all arrests in connection with violent crimes, and the majority of those charged are African-American males.

Since 2001, youth have accounted for about 36 percent of all arrests in Durham and 37 percent of violent-crime arrests, according to an analysis of police data by The News & Observer. Those percentages have remained steady even as total arrests declined 21 percent over the past seven years.

People aged 16 to 25 account for 66 percent of armed robbery arrests and 63 percent of arrests for murder.

Murder victims and those arrested for murder are both heavily represented in this age group. In 2007, half of those killed and 16 out of 30 named homicide suspects last year were under 25. This year, five out of 15 homicide victims and 10 out of 17 named suspects are 25 or younger.

Many of Durham's recent crime headlines have been youth-related, including a 19-year-old accused of shooting the 18-year-old mother of his son, a 16-year-old arrested for shooting a 10-year-old in the head and an 18- and 20-year-old charged with multiple robberies.

Even though youth violent-crime arrests fell 36 percent between 2001 and last year, crimes involving youth continue to stick out for their randomness and severity.

Little solace for victims

Violent crimes often have lasting effects on their victims, and that is certainly the case with three South Elm Street residents, whose sense of security and safety were shaken by the shootings in June.

The 100 block is actually two blocks in length, but one block in particular showcases East Durham's gradual transition. The odd-numbered side consists of older homes, while the even side has newer townhomes. The area, bordered by Main Street and Angier Avenue, is right across the railroad tracks from downtown but is near the epicenter of Operation Bulls Eye, a two-square-mile area that has been the focus of a city crime-fighting effort for the past year.

Willa McGee, 51, knew South Elm Street was rough when she moved to one of the townhomes in May.

The townhomes not only represent a push by city officials to revitalize the neighborhood, but for McGee, a new start. She lived in transitional housing for almost a year before moving to South Elm Street in May.

After returning from a convenience store about 11 p.m. on June 27, McGee sat by her kitchen window to watch TV.

She believes an angel told her to move from that window. Moments later came the gunshots.

"I can't even describe how loud it was," she said. "It made me scared to move."

David Gupton, resting in an upstairs bedroom a few doors down, thought someone was throwing rocks at his house. It wasn't until police knocked on his door that he realized it was bullets. Seven hit his home. One shattered a window.

Gupton, 41, had recently moved from McDougald Terrace, the big public-housing complex, hoping to escape such violence.

The drive-by shooting wasn't new for Shakira Rolle, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who was home with her two daughters when the incident began. Her home wasn't hit.

"It's not bad in the daytime," said Rolle, who has lived in the area since May. But at night, she said, "You never know what's gong to happen -- all hours. These teenagers are crazy out here. Everybody is about respect. Little things mean disrespect nowadays. People do crazy things for no reason."

Something as simple as a stare can easily lead to gunshots, she said.

Akeem Teron Flood, 16, Desmond Antwon Deloach, 16, and Ronald Girard Ransom, 20, were arrested for the shootings. Each faces multiple weapons, assault and damage-to-property charges. All three are still at the Durham County Jail on bonds of at least $1 million each.

Investigators have said little about the shootings; they remain under investigation. Neighbors believe they were gang-related, something police do not confirm.

McGee's niece, who was visiting from Wilmington, was treated and released from Duke University Hospital the night she was shot. McGee, fearing for her life, stayed with relatives out of state for about a month, undecided on what to do next. She talked to friends and ministers about coming back to Durham. She prayed about it -- a lot.

"I've decided that I'm not going to let what started out good and is a blessing ... I'm not going to let that run me away," she said. "I can't just keep running."

Rolle and Gupton, however, are both looking for new homes; she in Raleigh and he in Durham County.

"I look at the holes in my house every day and wonder what the world is coming to," said Gupton, who lives with his girlfriend and her 12-year-old son. "The violence has gotten so rough I wonder should I stay in my house. Where can I go? It's everywhere."

Environment is an issue

Black males account for the majority of youth arrested in Durham -- 55 percent -- followed by black females at 18 percent and white males at 14 percent.

Jennifer Rounds-Bryant, a psychologist who studies addiction and human behavior, said this isn't surprising when you factor in single parenthood, lack of education, mental illness, poverty and other social ills that often occur in poor neighborhoods heavily populated by African-Americans.

"What it takes to develop a criminal, the average joe or a superstar is all the same," said Rounds-Bryant, who is finishing her second book, "It Takes a Village to Raise a Criminal." "It's the village's response to the individual."

Children who live in safer areas may be treated less harshly by police because they may not fit the stereotype of the typical criminal, she said. But in poorer neighborhoods, that same child may be arrested.

"Because law enforcement is more likely to monitor poor minority neighborhoods for negative behavior, residents in those neighborhoods are more likely to be detected," Rounds-Bryant said.

But having two 16-year-olds and a 20-year-old accused of shooting up a block three times is something Willa McGee can't get over.

"That's really sad," she said. "I was really surprised to hear how young they were. That's so young to be doing something so destructive."