ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 11pm - February 9, 2026

Episode Date: February 10, 2026

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Right now, live coverage from your local news leader, preparing you for tomorrow starting tonight and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 eyewitness news. Breaking news is first tonight. A shooting in Garner sends a person to the hospital and tonight police are scouring that crime scene, trying to piece together what happened as they search for the shooter. And tonight we're talking to an eyewitness there on the scene. Thanks for joining us here for the news at 11. I'm Steve Daniels. And I'm Lauren Johnson. The shooting happened at the intersection of timber drive in Van Dora Springs Road. That's where we find Tom, George, with an update there from that scene. Hi, Tom. Yeah, good evening. A really shocking scene playing out right here. Right on a busy road, a car shot at. I want to show you right here. This is where investigators are zeroing in right now. They still have it blocked off. It all centers on that red sedan that you see right there. The forensic crews have still been out here trying to piece together what led up to that shooting. So you see that red sedan right there. There's that. that black sedan right behind there. That other car was not involved in this, but after the shooting happened,

it caused an impact with the car behind it. The other driver called 911 as a good Samaritan to report that the other car had stopped when police got here. They found the driver unresponsive. We know that that driver was taken to the hospital in critical condition right now. And in the meantime,

they are still continuing to investigate. So far, investigators say they do not know about any suspect or motive or what led up to that shooting. We did speak to an eyewitness who was out here in this neighborhood. There are a lot of homes in this area. He was walking his dog. He told us that he heard five shots in pretty quick succession from each other. But again, that is what forensic crews are still trying to piece together right now. There are some surrounding businesses here in the area. There's a coffee shop nearby. We saw police trying to talk to them to see if perhaps they had any surveillance footage that might help them or if the angle could have seen what led up to this.

But from what it seems right now, they don't have any information on the potential shooter in this case, but they are continuing to investigate in this area here in Garner. Again, all surrounding that vehicle with the forensics crews trying to figure out what led up to that shooting. And again, at this point, no word, further word on the victim's condition. We do know that it was a man that was unresponsive taken to the hospital. in critical condition right now is the latest that we were told by Garner police, who, again, are still investigating again.

This is a very busy part of Garner, a major intersection here. Both of those sides of the intersection have been blocked off for the past couple of hours. Again, now going on at least four hours since that call came in, that investigation heading into tonight. We're going to continue to stay on top of this and continue to push investigators here in Garner for more information. We'll let you know as soon as we know more. For now, we're live in Garner.

tonight. Tom George, ABC 11, High Witness News. Yeah, mystery shooting in Garner tonight has a detective. It's really busy this evening. Tom, George, thank you. Developing tonight, the manhunt for a Virginia police officer that stretched here into North Carolina is now over. The ABC affiliate in Richmond reports Charles Stokes was taken into custody this evening at a home in Cambridge, Virginia. Stokes is accused of shooting a woman during a domestic dispute yesterday afternoon while off duty in Loonberg County. Police say Stokes then ditched his car north of the triangle in Vance County and stole a Honda Civic.

there in Henderson. Stokes is now facing felony charges and he's being held in jail tonight. New at 11, renovate or rebuild. The Wake County School Board has a decision to make about the future of the Liggin Magnet School. The district has determined the historic schools campus has reached a point where basic repairs just are not enough. At a community meeting tonight, alumni and parents asked for other options that honor the past and make way for the future. Jemis Price lays out those current options and she's hearing concerns from parents too. I don't want y'all to tear in school now. Tonight, passionate pleas centered around the future of Liggin Magnet School. The school's heating system is 24 years old.

The fire detection system is outdated and 28 out of 32 classrooms do not meet district-based requirements. Now, a decision is being made on whether to tear it down. You don't want to be in a building that's not safe for kids to learn in. Avery Koston is a member of the 1971 graduating class of Liggin. and grew up three blocks away from the historic school. Liggin was built in 1953, becoming Raleigh's All Black High School.

The legacy remains with the people. A building is a building. It could be anywhere. But you think about the students to come, you want them to have the best facilities. And tonight, we heard how the district could make the school's campus better. Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor laid out the current options. Option 1. Renovate the existing building for $102 million with an estimated four-year time frame.

Option 2. Rebuild on the existing school site for $147 million, and that project could take about five years to complete. Option 3. Rebuild on the school sports field for $121 million with a time frame of about three years. We recognize that somebody is going to be unhappy. with whatever decision that we make, but we really want to make our number one priority are students that we serve today. And students will be impacted by either option. Options one and two require students to move to mobile classrooms. Option three allows students to remain in the existing building while construction takes place. Those that say tonight, they like the idea of an option three because it doesn't disrupt the current program. But I've had other parents to also say we've got to think about how we preserve history.

Dr. Taylor says school board members will consider the opinions and recommendations from alumni and parents tonight, as well as those opinions at other listening sessions. The school board could vote on the matter as early as March. In Raleigh, Jimmy's Price, ABC 11, eyewitness News. Denise, thank you. Now to the weather, the long stretch of bitter cold temperatures has almost come to an end. This is good news for us. It was going to feel more like spring around here for the next few days. Chief Neurologist, Don Schweniker, is here to spread the good cheer. That's right. Happy to talk about this forecast tonight. Now, it's dry out there. It will be another cold night, not as cold as it was last night. Last night we were in the teens. Tonight, we'll drop into the 20s. Right now, live looking into downtown Durham, 33 degrees under a clear sky on a southeast. wind at three miles per hour. Temperatures from across the region you've dropped into the 20s, Lewisburg, Rocky Mount at 29, 26 in Smithfield, Sanford's at 25. We're still at 31 in Raleigh, just above freezing in Durham. Let's first alert you to the next 11 hours. See what I did there?

Yeah, because we're 11. Temperatures falling through the 20s by 7 o'clock, just 28 degrees. We'll see the clear skies in those numbers climbing. By lunchtime, we're up into the 50s and some 60s back in tomorrow. I'll talk more about that in your first alert, seven day forecast coming up in just a bit. Stephen Lauer. All right, Don, thank you. Coming up tomorrow, the sentencing hearing for Headingham mass shooter Austin Thompson will resume late last month. Thompson pleaded guilty to killing five people, including his own brother during a shooting spree in October of 2022.

This week, the defense is planning to call Austin Thompson's mother back to the stand. The line of questioning they have for her is expected to take several hours. You can look for complete coverage right here on eyewitness news. Tonight, eyewitness news is talking with Shaw University students in Raleigh who have been displaced from their dorm after last week's fire. Students who live in the Dimple-Nusom dorm are now staying in a motel in Garner. They tell us their stay includes free breakfast but no other meals. Best Western I've been there for like two days. And the university is covering the cost of it?

Yes, ma'am. How are y'all supposed to be getting back and forth to school? They have a shuttle bus that comes at scheduled times. Shaw hasn't said how long the students need to stay at that motel. We have reached out to the university for details, but haven't heard back. An update tonight about mail problems plaguing the Eno Valley area of Durham. Last week, eyewitness news spoke with several neighbors in the Placet Valley community who say they haven't received mail in two weeks. Well, today, Congresswoman Valerie Fushi, who represents Durham, sent a letter to the U.S. Postal Service demanding answers.

Fushi, saying, in part, the lack of timely and accessible information undermines public confidence and places an unnecessary burden on affected residents. The Postal Service said last week, winter weather, impact. some routes in the triangle. New at 11, Durham's infamous low-flying bridges have claimed another victim. Our crew captured video of a big rig there stuck under the railroad bridge over Roxborough Street entering downtown Durham. As you may know, this has been a pretty regular site in Durham over the years. So to come here on eyewitnesses, Savannah Guthrie turning to the public for help and finding her kidnapped mother. We'll share Savannah's new message as the search for her mom enters a second week.

And the cause of death revealed in Los Angeles for actress Catherine O'Hara. And Don checking those temperatures outside. Richard's outside. Yeah, numbers in the 30s tonight, but it'll be one last cold night before a nice warm-up. We'll talk about that. And we need the rain, and we do have some showing up in your seven-day forecast. We'll time the showers out next. Stuck in that winter slump, try Dove Men plus Care Aluminum-Free Deodorant.

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Tonight we're working to learn what sparked a fire that damaged three townhouses in southeast Raleigh. Chopper 11 there over the scene this afternoon on Paint Rock Lane. It's not far from the Barwell Road Community Center. You can see those flames charred the back of one of those homes and damaged to others. One person was in the home when the fire started and managed to get out safely when firefighter has a minor injury and went to Rex Hospital for treatment. In Georgia, the pilot of a small plane sent out a Mayday call and told air traffic controllers to tell

his wife he loves her. Moments before he crashed landed on a busy road and hit three vehicles. This happened in Gainesville, about an hour northeast of Atlanta. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Officials say that pilot had to make an emergency landing right there on the road after that plane had some engine problems. The search for Nancy Guthrie is now in its ninth day in Arizona and still no suspects or leads in the disappearance of the 84 year. Today's show anchors Savannah Guthrie put out a new video this afternoon calling for the public's help.

Over the weekend, investigators returned to Nancy's home near Tucson to search all corners of her property. The Guthrie family also said they were prepared to pay a ransom for their mother's return. I just want to say first of all, thank you so much for all of the prayers and the love that we have felt my sister and brother and I. and that our mom has felt because we believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place. Tonight, billboards are going up across the country in the search for Nancy Guthrie. This is video of one of those billboards in the Houston area. The FBI created that digital billboard program back in 2007.

The agency said it has directly led to 57 fugitive captures and assisted with numerous other investigations. They'll go up in other Texas cities as well as Albuquerque, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Tonight we know the cause of death for actress Catherine O'Hara. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, O'Hara died from a pulmonary embolism with rectal cancer as an underlying cause. She was getting cancer treatment for the past year. O'Hara died last month at the age of 71. Her career spanned several decades, including roles in Home Alone, Beetlejuice, the hit TV show Shits Creek, and more recently the Apple TV comedy, The Studio.

The Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival will be back in bigger than ever in 2026. This year, the free celebration of bluegrass, Americana, and folk music will take over Fayetteville Street for three days, October 1st, 3 to 3rd. The event features multiple outdoor stages in art market, food trucks, beer gardens, and much more. In addition to Friday and Saturday, there will also be a free kickoff celebration on Thursday night at NC State's Centennial Campus. All right, fresh off their win over the New England Patriots, the Super Bowl champs took their celebration to Disneyland today. Seattle Seahawks player Sam Darnold and MVP Kenneth Walker took part in a parade there at Disneyland. The iconic Disney visit is a tradition that started in 1987 with Phil Sims of the New York Giants. And at Disneyland, the new winners talking with ABC News.

Yeah, they talked with Whit Johnson about their big Super Bowl win. This is what kids dream about, right? I mean, how does the dream match up to the reality of the moment now? Yeah, honestly, when it hit me is when they show me the running backs that were the MVP. long list of Hall of Famers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it meant a lot to me to be able to be on that list with those guys and, you know, the greats.

So it's a blessing to be able to be in that position. And you'll see more of that conversation with Walker and Darnold tomorrow morning on Good Morning America beginning at 7 o'clock right here on ABC 11. And the Super Bowl halftime show also captivated millions of people. The show, a big topic of discussion today.

Music superstar Bad Bunny putting the spotlight on his Puerto Rican heritage, fans dubbing it the Benito Bowl. The performance kicked off with dancers and traditional Pava hats Men playing dominoes. There was also dancing atop La Casita, a traditional Puerto Rican-style house. The performance included a number of surprises with a real bride and groom tying the knot and a legal wedding.

While millions watched, Bad Bunny also handed his newly won Grammy for album of the year to a little boy saying to him, always believe in yourself. And that couple who got married, they actually sent a wedding invitation to Bad Bunny we learned today. They live in the Los Angeles area and he said, hey, I can't get to your wedding. but come on up to the Super Bowl. You get married right there during the halftime. I love it. It was so special.

Yeah. You know, I saw that on a TV show right before my wife and I got married. If you invite famous people sometimes, they don't know if they know you, so you never know what you're going to get. And so I sent an invitation to the president of the United States when we got married. And I got the coolest letter back from. Oh, yeah. And it's in our stuff. So we got to remember to do.

There you go. Kelly, off our camera when you get married, invite some famous folks. There you go. All right. Let's talk about that seven-day forecast. Today, temperatures in the mid-60s as we head into Tuesday looking nice. 63 on Wednesday, it could be a spotty shower around. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we're in the low 50s.

We're dry for Valentine's Day. We'll talk more about that coming up. Let's take a look at your 12-hour forecast. So as you head out the door tomorrow morning, 6, 7 o'clock in the morning, we're talking temperatures in the 20s. Those numbers will rise through the morning, and by lunchtime, we're up to 51 degrees. Good day to take lunch outside. It's not going to be too windy. It'll feel a lot warmer because it's been so cold recently.

And then as we go into the afternoon, we'll see those numbers continuing to climb. We could be in the mid-60s tomorrow by 5 o'clock. So just enjoy a nice mild afternoon. Not seeing any showers out there tonight. First alert Doppler net scanning the skies is dry. So we'll head live into the self-help sky cam, downtown Fayetteville. All-American City checking in at 30 under clear skies and a south wind at six miles per hour. Maniota Murphy tonight.

at the freezing mark out at the coast. 32 for our friends down at ECU, 29 up in Chase City, triad checking in at 31. A little warmer down in Charlotte at 41. Boones at 29. 40 down in Columbia, South Carolina tonight.

We'll see those numbers dropping into the 20s for lows. 26, Raleigh, Durham, 28 Fayville. The normal is 33. Today, though, we were in the teens to start. So tomorrow we'll feel a little warmer. It's still going to be cold, but in some spots, 10 degrees warmer to start the day.

Satellite radar composites, and dry around here. They're seeing a big surge of warm air through the Midwest. As a matter of fact, it was warmer today and Iowa than it will be for us tomorrow. They were in the upper 60s. So we'll see some of that warm air shifting east as we head through the day. Your first alert predictor forecast model. 7 o'clock of the morning. We're in the 20s and freezing to start today. As we go into the afternoon, looks like I forgot to turn the clouds on. I didn't. It's just going to be very sunny throughout today. Those winds starting to swing out of the south and west. By tomorrow night, we'll see the cloud starting. to build in and then there's a chance of showers. None of this is Wednesday morning 7.15. You could see some rain. I've got it on the winter mix there and we have nothing but rain chances as we stay above freezing on Wednesday. That front drops through and then we'll cool off as we go through the day on Wednesday. Forecast looks like this for tomorrow 65 degrees. Ian at Raleigh, Durham will top 66, Fayetteville 69 degrees. Mostly sunny skies throughout today could see a few clouds down to the late in the day. Temperatures across the region. Tomorrow, 65. Clayton, Wendell. Bahama, you'll top out at

64, 67 in Carborough. 68 and Lillington, Fort Bragg will top 68, 66 in Golsborough and 70s from Rayford down to Lumberton. And then Northern Tier, you'll even see 60s. Tomorrow, 62 and South Hill 61 in Rhoneau Crapids and 63, Rocky Mount 64 in Wilson. Back to that seven-day forecast, the 60s for two days. Thursday, a little cooler, 52, Friday. passing shower, not a big shower threat. Saturday's drive for your sweetheart on St. Patrick's Day, no, St. Patrick's Day, St. Valentine's Day. I know what holiday I'm looking forward to. Sunday is soaking rain and we need as much rain as we can get. It could be very wet to end the weekend, guys. You're getting ahead of yourself with your saints. I know. I'm geez. I have a favorite. It's coming up.

Don, thank you. Sure. So a little hell, Lenovo and the Carolina Hurricanes are joining force. to put on a new competition, will tell you about how they aim to help small businesses across our state. Investing is all about the future. So what do you think is going to happen? Bitcoin is sort of inevitable at this point. I think it would come down to precious metals.

I hope we don't go cashless. I would say land is a safe investment. Technology companies. Solar energy. Robotic pollinators might be a thing. A wrestler to face a robot, that will have to happen. So whatever you're using,

think is going to happen in the future. You can invest in it at Wealth Simple. Start now at WealthSimple.com. Tonight, more progress is being made in Western North Carolina and their recovery from Hurricane Helene in September of 2024. The town of Lake Lurne announcing it is starting to refill the lake. The mayor saying they hope the work is done by Memorial Day to kick off the holiday weekend and summer tourism. Historic flooding during Helene destroyed Lake Lur and most of that town. The city of Durham receiving a $25,000 grant to fight hunger in the Bull City. This is the first grant awarded as part of the Mayor's Alliance Action Fund to end childhood hunger. The goal is to bring together people and organizations across the community and increase access to SNAP and WIC benefits.

What happened? They came together and they realized that, you know, we're dealing with food and security. We're dealing with benefits that are not being utilized. And this benefits coalition is focusing on helping to inform families of the resources that they have access to. The Durham Mayor Leo Williams says millions of dollars in SNAP and WIC benefits are being left on the table each year. This program is focused on families and helping them get the food they need. The mayor says his office will continue to focus on food insecurity throughout the rest of the year. Lenovo and the Carolina hurricanes are teaming up to help small businesses all across North Carolina. Ten businesses are competing in a contest called Empowering the Heart of the Triangle today.

Those business owners received $5,000 worth of technology upgrades, including new laptops, monitors, and accessories. We heard from the owner of Sweetheart Treats Bakery and Rollsville about what the donation means for her business. It's going to help us go to the next level. One of the things that we've been kind of lagging on is having technology equipment to be able to like upgrade, make it easier. Like I've always wanted to have it where customers can come in and like check in. And we didn't have that opportunity. You know, being able to upgrade our website because we have the tools. Oh my God, it's going to be next level for us.

The 10 finalists will join Lenovo at the Cain's home game on February 28th. where the winner will be announced. The winning business will get $50,000 in advertising through the canes to help grow their small business. Went to the fight and the basketball game broke out. All right, Kate, thank you. That's going to do it for us here tonight. Thanks for watching. We'll see you tomorrow.

Good night. ABC 11 eyewitness news is sponsored by Capital Chevrolet. Together, let's drive. Shop capitalchevrolet.com.