“Our condolences are with the families, with the friends and with anyone who witnessed this,” said Jason Swaim, deputy director of the Field Services Division at the Winston-Salem Police Department.
A 20-year-old man was arrested in connection with one of two shootings that killed a 19-year-old student and wounded three others on the campus of Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, Telemundo47.com reported.
Ziyaire Antonyo Spinks was detained in the shooting that killed Peyton Izaia Patterson, 19, the Winston-Salem Police Department said in a statement Sunday. Spinks faces murder and felony illegal possession of a firearm on an educational campus charges.
Officers responding to gunfire found Patterson with a gunshot wound. Police and emergency medical services attempted life-saving measures, the department said, but he did not survive. The shooting also wounded Alyssa Janae Ellerbee, 19, who was treated at a hospital and later released, according to police.
The department determined this shooting was an isolated incident and not connected to a second shooting that also occurred on campus Saturday night, the police statement said.
Spinks remains in custody without bond, and it is unclear whether he has retained an attorney, Telemundo47.com reported.
Swaim spoke to reporters in the early morning hours after the shooting and told the community the campus was safe. He said additional police officers would be present on the campus of the North Carolina university in the coming days.
Saturday was homecoming day at the historically Black university, with the WSSU Rams facing the Fayetteville State Broncos earlier in the day.
“Homecoming is traditionally a time of celebration and gathering,” Swaim said.
Audio of emergency services obtained by NBC News showed officers reporting that a victim had been shot in the head. Another recording showed an officer requesting a second ambulance.
Remaining homecoming activities scheduled for Sunday were canceled, including an event at Emmanuel Baptist Church, according to a statement from Winston-Salem State University Chancellor Bonita J. Brown.
Brown expressed condolences to the deceased victim’s family and said she was praying for the recovery of those injured. She also acknowledged that campus community members “may have seen or experienced things no one should have to endure.”
Brown urged people to use the university’s counseling services and to follow police instructions as the investigation into the shootings continued.
“Throughout our history, Winston-Salem State University has faced challenges, but we have always found strength in one another,” Brown wrote. “That is what it means to be part of the Ramily and to be Ram strong.”
Police said the shooting that killed Patterson was an isolated incident and not related to the other shooting that night, but they have not publicly identified a suspect in the second incident.
Spinks is being held without bond on murder and firearm charges, and it is not yet known whether he has hired a lawyer.
Chancellor Brown directed the campus community to the university’s counseling services while the investigation continues.
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