In brief
Two separate shooting incidents on the Winston‑Salem State University campus on Saturday night left one person dead and three wounded. Police held a press conference on Sunday, saying the cases may or may not be linked and that the investigation is in its early stages. No arrests have been announced and campuses remain on heightened security.
New York, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) – In the early hours of Saturday night, two separate gunfire incidents occurred on the campus of Winston‑Salem State University in North Carolina, leaving one person dead and three others wounded.
The university, a historically Black college, was held in a state of emergency as campus security locked down the building after the first shooting, before dispersing the lockdown early Sunday morning in an effort to reopen classrooms for homecoming weekend.
Incidents and Response
While the exact locations of the shootings differ, the incident scenes were located on campus grounds with police reporting the attacks occurred within a few minutes of one another. Police canvassed nearby residences and interviews were conducted with students and staff in the immediate aftermath.
During a press conference on Sunday, Assistant Police Chief Jason Swaim of the Winston‑Salem Police Department said subsequently at the event, that it remained unclear whether the shootings were connected.
“It remains unclear whether the shootings were connected,” Swaim told reporters at the press briefing.
Swaim added that they had yet to confirm whether the incidents involved the same weapons or a single suspect, and that the campus would have increased police presence over the next several days. No arrests were made, and the investigation was described as being in its early stages.
Law Enforcement and Investigation
The campus police and local law enforcement units stationed extra officers across dormitories, lecture halls, and surrounding city streets. Witnesses were called for statements, and security footage was reviewed to establish timelines and identify any possible connections between the attacks.
At the same time, the university’s incident command center cooperated with law enforcement and worked to keep the sleeping student body informed. The university’s counseling services were made available for students and faculty who might have been affected by the violence.
Police have not yet announced any arrests, and the chain of the track is still under investigation. As of the latest update, the campus policy on lockdown has been adjusted to allow for quicker reopening once authorities have determined the crisis is contained.
