Authorities have arrested a man in connection with one of two shootings on Winston-Salem State University’s campus that killed a person and wounded three other people Saturday.
Ziyaire Antonyo Spinks, 20, was arrested in connection with a shooting that killed Peyton Izaia Patterson, 19, Winston-Salem police said in a statement Sunday. Spinks was charged with murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and felony possession of a firearm on an educational campus.
Officers who responded after they heard shots fired found Patterson with a gunshot wound. The officers and emergency medical services attempted lifesaving measures, police said, but he did not survive.
The shooting injured Alyssa Janae Ellerbee, 19, who was treated at a hospital and later released, police said.
Police have determined the shooting to be an isolated incident, not connected to a separate shooting that also occurred on campus Saturday night.
Spinks is being held without bond, according to police.
Court records show he has two previous court cases pending in North Carolina.
He has a pending case in Randolph County involving charges of carrying a concealed weapon and marijuana possession from an arrest in March. The lawyer representing him in the March case told NBC News on Sunday that he was unaware of the new charges in Winston-Salem, in Forsyth County.
Spinks was indicted in October on charges of felony conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery with a dangerous weapon in Guilford County. The incident is alleged to have occurred last year, but the indictment was filed on Oct. 5, according to court records.
The attorney representing him in Guilford County did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The shooting stemmed from an altercation between two groups, according to Jason Swaim, assistant chief of the Winston-Salem police Field Services Bureau. An additional person, Cequon Warren Brower, 18, was arrested in connection with fighting.
“One thing I’ll add about the homicide on campus — because I know this has been a question — is that the arrestee that’s been charged with murder, Mr. Spinks, he was not a student of Winston-Salem State University, and neither was Cequon Brower,” Swaim told reporters Sunday.
That shooting occurred at 9:46 p.m., and another shooting was reported on campus at 10:22 p.m., Swaim said.
Officers found two people with gunshot wounds. A vehicle related to that incident was identified and later stopped by West Side police officers. No arrests had been made in that case Sunday afternoon, Swaim said.
Saturday was homecoming game day at the historically Black university, with the WSSU Rams facing the Fayetteville State Broncos earlier in the day.
University Police Chief Amir Henry assured the public that the campus was secured. He noted that it was typically a time for the university’s community to come together in “shared pride and connection.”
“Tragically, this year, this celebration has been overshadowed by the loss of life and the injuries resulting from two separate shootings on our campus,” Henry said.
Emergency services audio obtained by NBC News showed officers reporting one victim sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Another recording showed an officer calling for a second ambulance.
Remaining homecoming activities scheduled for Sunday were canceled, including an event at Emmanuel Baptist Church, university Chancellor Bonita J. Brown said in a statement.
Brown expressed her condolences to the family of the deceased victim and said she was praying for the recovery of those who were injured. She also acknowledged that members of the campus community “may have witnessed or experienced things that no one should have to endure.”
She urged people to use the university’s counseling services and continue to follow police instructions as the investigation continues.
“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.”
Emanuella Grinberg contributed.
