Police said the shooting happened during Mother’s Day brunch at Silver Spoon on North Roxboro Street.
DURHAM, NC — A man was critically injured Sunday after police said he was shot while trying to break up a fight between two employees at a Durham restaurant during Mother’s Day brunch.
Durham police said the shooting happened at Silver Spoon restaurant on North Roxboro Street, where families and customers were gathered late Sunday morning. A 55-year-old man, Samar Suliman Al-Mahmoud, was arrested and charged after officers said one of the employees involved in the dispute fired a gun. The victim remained hospitalized as the case moved toward its first court appearance.
Officers responded around 11:31 a.m. Sunday to a report of a gunshot wound at the restaurant, located at 5230 N. Roxboro St. Police said two employees had been arguing before another man stepped in and tried to calm the situation. During that attempt, investigators said, one employee fired a gun and struck the man who had intervened. Witnesses described a sudden rush for the exits after the shot rang out inside the busy restaurant. David Denney, who was eating there with family, said he first thought the sound was a balloon before people began screaming and getting up from their tables.
The injured man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said. His name had not been released Monday. Employees told a local television station that the man shot was the restaurant owner and that the suspect was a cook, but police had not publicly confirmed those roles in the dispute. Employees also said the two men were brothers-in-law. Investigators have not said what led to the argument or whether any earlier conflict occurred before the shooting. Police said bystanders held the suspect until officers arrived, preventing him from leaving before the arrest.
Al-Mahmoud was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious injury, a felony under North Carolina law. He was being held without bond and was scheduled to appear in Durham County court Monday at 11 a.m. Police said the investigation remained open, with detectives continuing to review witness accounts from inside and outside the restaurant. No other charges had been announced Monday afternoon. Authorities had not released details about the firearm, the number of shots fired or whether surveillance video from the restaurant was being reviewed.
The shooting disrupted one of the busiest restaurant days of the year, when many families gather for Mother’s Day meals. Witnesses said customers fled quickly after workers told them to leave. Derrick Parnell, who was at the restaurant celebrating Mother’s Day, said he helped restrain the man accused of firing the shot in the parking lot. “I grabbed the lower part of the gentleman and we took him to the ground,” Parnell said. He said people were coming out of the restaurant screaming and yelling, and he feared the crowd might harm the man being held or the people restraining him.
Police have described the case as a workplace dispute that escalated into gunfire, not as a random attack on customers. Still, the shooting rattled diners who had gathered for a holiday meal. Denney said a worker came out with clear fear in his voice and told everyone to leave immediately. Customers later returned for belongings left behind during the scramble. Police have not reported any additional gunshot victims, and there was no public indication Monday that customers were targeted during the incident.
The case also drew attention because of its setting, a public restaurant during brunch hours on Mother’s Day. A year earlier, another Mother’s Day brunch shooting in the Triangle injured three people after a fight broke out at Big Ed’s restaurant in Raleigh. Police have not connected the Durham case to that earlier incident. In Durham, investigators focused on the Silver Spoon dispute and the actions of the employee accused of firing the weapon. The restaurant sits along a commercial stretch of North Roxboro Street in north Durham, an area with steady daytime traffic and nearby businesses.
As of Monday afternoon, the victim remained hospitalized and the suspect remained in custody. The next public milestone in the case was Al-Mahmoud’s initial court appearance in Durham County, where bond status and future hearing dates were expected to be addressed.
Author note: Last updated May 11, 2026.