Police have arrested a 20-year-old man on a murder charge after the deadly Winston-Salem State homecoming shooting that left a 19-year-old dead and three people injured on the university campus in North Carolina. The Winston-Salem State homecoming shooting arrest, announced on Sunday, November 8, 2026, is the first arrest in the case and comes a day after gunfire rang out during the historically Black university's homecoming weekend.

Key Points

• Ziyaire Spinks, 20, was arrested on Sunday, November 8, 2026, in connection with one of the two shootings on the Winston-Salem State University campus during homecoming weekend.
• Spinks is being held without bond on charges of murder and possession of a firearm on educational property.
• Officers responding to gunshots at about 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, found 19-year-old Peyton Patterson with a gunshot wound, and life-saving measures were unsuccessful.
• A 22-year-old woman was also found at the scene with an apparent gunshot wound.
• Assistant Police Chief Jason Swaim called the shooting an isolated incident, with the circumstances still under investigation; police have not said whether the two shootings are connected.

What Happened

The shooting happened on Saturday night, November 7, 2026, as Winston-Salem State University was celebrating homecoming weekend. Officers were called to the campus after reports of gunshots at about 9:45 p.m., and when they arrived they found Patterson with a gunshot wound. Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful.

A 22-year-old woman was also found at the scene with an apparent gunshot wound. Police have not released her condition or said whether she was among the three people taken to hospital by Forsyth County Emergency Medical Services on Saturday night.

The shooting was one of two separate shootings on the campus that night. Across the two incidents, one person was killed and three others were injured, police said on Sunday. The second shooting has not been described in detail by police, and no arrest has been announced in connection with it.

Background: Homecoming Weekend at Winston-Salem State

Winston-Salem State University, founded in 1892, is a public historically Black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and part of the University of North Carolina System. Its homecoming weekend is one of the biggest events on the university calendar, drawing alumni, families and friends back to campus for reunions and the homecoming football game against Fayetteville State University at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Police held a news conference early on Sunday, at about 1:45 a.m., to give the first public account of the night. Assistant Police Chief Jason Swaim of the Winston-Salem Police Department said both shootings occurred on Saturday on the campus, but investigators could not yet say whether they were connected. “At this point, the investigation is still very early in its preliminary stages,” Swaim said at that briefing.

Winston-Salem State Homecoming Shooting Arrest: What We Know About the Charges

Spinks, 20, faces two charges: murder, and possession of a firearm on educational property. He is being held without bond, which means he will remain in custody while the case moves forward unless a judge sets different conditions.

North Carolina law makes it a crime to possess a firearm on educational property, a charge that is commonly added when a shooting takes place on a school or university campus. The murder charge relates to the death of Patterson, 19, who was found with a gunshot wound after the 9:45 p.m. call on Saturday.

Police have not said whether Spinks was a student at Winston-Salem State or had any connection to the university. They have not said what led up to the shooting, whether Spinks and Patterson knew each other, or whether the 22-year-old woman found at the scene was also a victim of the same shooting.

Reactions

Chancellor Bonita J. Brown of Winston-Salem State University called the shootings “senseless violence” and cancelled the remaining homecoming events. The decision brought a weekend of celebration to an early end, as students, alumni and families who had travelled to campus for homecoming were sent home.

Police have described the shooting as an isolated incident, a judgement Swaim shared as detectives continued their work on Sunday. That description is intended to reassure the campus community that there is no wider threat, even as the investigation continues.

Why It Matters

A shooting at a university homecoming strikes at one of the most cherished traditions in American higher education, and at historically Black universities in particular. Homecoming is when generations of graduates return to campus, and families bring children to see where their parents studied. An arrest matters because it is the first step toward accountability for the victim's family and the injured.

The Winston-Salem State shootings also come just two weeks after another homecoming shooting at a historically Black university. On October 24, 2026, eleven people were shot near Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee after the homecoming game, and a 15-year-old was later charged as an adult. A week later, seven people were hurt in a shooting near Indiana University in Bloomington during that school's homecoming weekend. Police have not linked those cases to Winston-Salem.

What Happens Next

Spinks is expected to appear in court, where a judge will consider the charges and whether he should remain held without bond. Prosecutors will decide whether to bring the case before a grand jury, and further charges could follow as the investigation continues. Police are still investigating the second shooting, and have not said whether they expect further arrests.

Updates are likely to come in stages: the condition of the injured, including the 22-year-old woman found at the scene, any charges in the second shooting, and a clearer account of where on campus each shooting took place. Police have not given a timetable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was arrested in the Winston-Salem State homecoming shooting?

Ziyaire Spinks, 20, was arrested on Sunday, November 8, 2026, in connection with one of the two shootings on the Winston-Salem State University campus during homecoming weekend. He is charged with murder and possession of a firearm on educational property and is being held without bond.

Who was killed in the shooting?

Peyton Patterson, 19, was found with a gunshot wound after officers responded to gunshots at about 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful. A 22-year-old woman was also found at the scene with an apparent gunshot wound.

Are the two shootings connected?

Police have not said whether the two shootings are connected. Assistant Police Chief Jason Swaim said detectives determined the shooting was an isolated incident, with the circumstances still under investigation.

What happened to the rest of homecoming weekend?

Chancellor Bonita J. Brown called the shootings “senseless violence” and cancelled the remaining homecoming events. Police said the campus is safe and an earlier lockdown has been lifted.

What is Winston-Salem State University?

Winston-Salem State University, founded in 1892, is a public historically Black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and part of the University of North Carolina System. Its homecoming weekend included a football game against Fayetteville State University.

Related coverage: Winston-Salem State homecoming shooting: 1 dead, 3 injured; Florida A&M homecoming shooting: 15-year-old charged as adult; 7 hurt in Bloomington shooting near Indiana University.