One person was killed and three people were wounded in the Winston-Salem State homecoming shootings — two shootings at Winston-Salem State University on Saturday 7 November 2026, during homecoming weekend. The first shooting happened at about 9:45 p.m. near the 600 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, where 19-year-old Peyton Izaia Patterson was fatally shot and a 22-year-old woman was wounded. A second shooting followed at about 10:22 p.m. near Victory Circle and Cromartie Street, where two more people were wounded. Police arrested 20-year-old Ziyaire Spinks on Sunday 8 November and charged him with murder over the first shooting. The university cancelled the rest of the homecoming weekend and all Monday classes.
Quick Facts
| Detail | What is confirmed |
|---|---|
| Location | Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Date | Saturday 7 November 2026, homecoming weekend |
| First shooting | About 9:45 p.m., 600 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive |
| Second shooting | About 10:22 p.m., Victory Circle and Cromartie Street |
| People killed | One, Peyton Izaia Patterson, aged 19 |
| People wounded | Three, including a 22-year-old woman and two people at the second scene |
| Arrest in first shooting | Ziyaire Spinks, aged 20, charged with murder and held without bond |
| Second arrest | Cequon Warren Brower, aged 18, charged with affray |
| Arrest in second shooting | None reported as of Monday 9 November |
| Classes | Cancelled Monday 9 November, resume Tuesday 10 November at 8 a.m. |
What Happened in the Winston-Salem State Homecoming Shootings
Saturday 7 November 2026 was homecoming game day at Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The WSSU Rams had faced the Fayetteville State Broncos earlier in the day, and the campus was full of students, graduates, families, and visitors who had come back to celebrate. Homecoming is one of the biggest weekends of the year at a university like this one. A day that should have ended with happy memories ended with gunfire, sirens, and grief.
Police officers were already on campus because of the homecoming crowds, and they heard the first shots themselves. Officers reached the scene fast, and medics began lifesaving measures, but they could not save him. Within less than an hour, a second shooting took place at a different spot on campus, and two more people were hurt. By the end of the night, one young life had been lost, three people had been wounded, and a celebration had turned into a crime scene.
The First Shooting Near South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
The first shooting happened at about 9:45 p.m. near the 600 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Police officers who were already on campus for homecoming heard the gunfire and moved toward it. When they arrived, they found 19-year-old Peyton Izaia Patterson with a gunshot wound. Officers and emergency medical workers began lifesaving measures at the scene, but Patterson died from his injuries. A 22-year-old woman was also wounded at the same location. She was taken to hospital and later released.
Police say the first shooting followed an argument between two groups. Officers have not shared every detail of what led to the argument. Patterson was 19 years old and was not a student at Winston-Salem State University, according to police. He was a young man who had come to a homecoming celebration and never went home, leaving his family and friends to deal with a sudden loss.
The Second Shooting Near Victory Circle
Less than 40 minutes after the first shooting, at about 10:22 p.m., a second shooting happened near the intersection of Victory Circle and Cromartie Street. Two more people were wounded there. The timing and the location, still on campus and still during the same homecoming evening, added to the fear and confusion. Many did not know whether the two events were linked or whether more violence might follow.
Police are still investigating whether the two shootings are connected. They have not confirmed a link, and they have not ruled one out. One of the wounded is Lady Rams basketball player Makyiah Ward, according to HBCU Gameday. She is reported in good condition and recovering. University officials would not confirm the team link, so that detail rests on the HBCU Gameday report. As of Monday 9 November, no arrest has been reported in the second shooting.
Arrests and the Police Investigation
Police moved quickly after the first shooting. On Sunday 8 November, officers arrested 20-year-old Ziyaire Spinks, who is not a WSSU student, in connection with the first shooting. He was charged with murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, and felony possession of a firearm on educational property. He is held without bond. He is charged, not convicted, and he is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
An 18-year-old, Cequon Warren Brower, was also arrested in connection with the fighting that preceded the first shooting. He was charged with affray, which relates to fighting in a public place. Like Spinks, he is charged and not convicted, and he is presumed innocent. Police confirmed that both the person killed and the shooter in the first incident are not WSSU students, but the shootings happened on university ground during a university homecoming. The investigation into both shootings is still active.
Readers can also see our report on the gunman who died in hospital after the Krakow attack and our coverage of the train collision in Giza that left seven people dead.
Clearing Up the Early Confusion Online
In the hours after the shootings, early reports circulating online said that three people had died. That was wrong. The Associated Press, local police, and the university confirm that one person was killed and three people were wounded. The wrong figure spread quickly on social media, as it often does when a breaking story is still developing and people are sharing unconfirmed posts.
The correction matters for more than accuracy. When a casualty figure is wrong, it changes how people understand the scale of a tragedy, and it can cause needless panic among parents and loved ones who are trying to find out whether someone they know is safe. The confirmed toll is one death and three injuries, and it should be reported exactly as it is, without exaggeration and without softening. The same care applies to unconfirmed details, which should be attributed to the outlet that reported them. Our report on Russell Brand being sentenced to 10 years and 6 months is another story where the exact legal outcome had to be reported with care.
The University Response and Campus Support
Chancellor Bonita J. Brown issued a statement acknowledging the loss of life, the injuries, and the anxiety felt by students, parents, and the wider community. She described the events as senseless violence. The words were plain and direct, and they matched the mood on campus. The statement told students and families that the loss has been seen and the pain is shared.
The university acted quickly on practical steps as well. The remaining Sunday homecoming activities were cancelled. After a night of gunfire, asking students and visitors to carry on with celebrations would have been wrong. The cancellation gave people space to grieve and to stay safe while police continued their work on campus.
All classes were cancelled on Monday 9 November to give students time to process the events and access support. Classes resume on Tuesday 10 November at 8 a.m., while campus operations and administrative offices stayed open on Monday. Students got a day to breathe and talk to counsellors, while offices stayed open for anyone who needed help. The coming days will be hard. Students will return to class on Tuesday carrying the memory of Saturday night with them, and the university will need to keep listening.
FAQs
How many people were killed and wounded in the Winston-Salem State homecoming shootings?
One person was killed and three people were wounded. Peyton Izaia Patterson, aged 19, died after the first shooting at about 9:45 p.m. on Saturday 7 November 2026. A 22-year-old woman was wounded at the same scene and later released, and two more people were wounded in the second shooting at about 10:22 p.m.
Has anyone been arrested over the shootings?
Yes, in connection with the first shooting. Ziyaire Spinks, aged 20, was arrested on Sunday 8 November and charged with murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, and felony possession of a firearm on educational property. He is held without bond. Cequon Warren Brower, aged 18, was also arrested and charged with affray over the fighting before the first shooting. Both men are charged, not convicted, and are presumed innocent. No arrest has been reported in the second shooting as of Monday 9 November.
Are the two shootings connected?
Police are still investigating whether the two shootings are connected. They have not confirmed a link and have not ruled one out. The first shooting happened at about 9:45 p.m. near the 600 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and the second at about 10:22 p.m. near Victory Circle and Cromartie Street. Police say the first shooting followed an argument between two groups.
What has the university done since the shootings?
Chancellor Bonita J. Brown issued a statement acknowledging the loss of life, the injuries, and the anxiety in the community, and described the events as senseless violence. The remaining Sunday homecoming activities were cancelled. All classes were cancelled on Monday 9 November so students could process the events and access support, with classes resuming on Tuesday 10 November at 8 a.m. Campus operations and administrative offices stayed open on Monday.
Sources
Final Thoughts
The Winston-Salem State homecoming shootings left one young man dead, three people wounded, and a whole university community shaken. Peyton Izaia Patterson was 19 years old. He went to a homecoming celebration and did not come home. A family has lost a son, friends have lost someone they cared about, and a campus has lost its sense of safety.
Two shootings happened on Saturday 7 November 2026, one at about 9:45 p.m. and one at about 10:22 p.m. One person was killed and three were wounded. Two men have been charged in connection with the first shooting and are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The second shooting is still under investigation, with no arrest reported yet. For now, readers should stick to the confirmed facts and remember that behind every figure in this story there is a real person.
