Randy Lee Ennis Jr. dies in fatal West Lake Road car crash following police pursuit
Fatal West Lake Road car crash death of Randy Lee Ennis Jr. – Obituary
Randy Lee Ennis Jr., a 17-year-old from Burlington, lost his life on New Year’s Eve after crashing a stolen vehicle during a police chase.
The incident took place on West Lake Road, with the teen being ejected from the Jeep Cherokee he was driving. Authorities confirmed that he was pronounced dead at Duke University Medical Center.
According to reports from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and Butner Public Safety, no other vehicles or individuals were involved in the collision.
The crash occurred just before 6:50 p.m. when the pursued vehicle veered off the road, hit a culvert, and flipped multiple times. Ennis, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle upon impact.
The pursuit began around 6:30 p.m. after law enforcement was alerted about two stolen vehicles moving along Gate #2 Road. Officers from Butner Public Safety and the Granville County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop near Old NC 75 and Otha Mangum Road, but both vehicles fled the scene.
The Jeep Cherokee, driven by Ennis, continued through several towns before crashing. The other vehicle, a Honda Accord, was abandoned on Gate #1 Road, and its driver remains unidentified.
A GoFundMe campaign launched for Ennis’s funeral expenses describes him as a passionate basketball player and a fan of dirt bikes and four-wheelers. Family members remember him as a respectful and loving young man.
Efforts to contact Granville County Sheriff Robert Fountain Jr. for further comments were unsuccessful as of the newspaper’s publication.
