Winston-Salem State cancels homecoming events after fatal weekend shootings

Two separate shootings at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina killed one person and injured three others Saturday during homecoming weekend, police said.

Assistant Police Chief Jason Swaim of the Winston-Salem Police Department said investigators could not yet determine whether the shootings were connected. He did not say whether anyone had been arrested.

"At this point, the investigation is still very early in its preliminary stages," Swaim said at an early Sunday news conference. Police said the inquiry continues.

The victims’ identities were not immediately known, nor was it known whether they were students.

Police locked down the campus after the shootings, but that restriction has since been lifted. The university grounds and nearby neighborhood were secure, police said. Police and the university said additional officers are staying on campus as the investigation proceeds.

The shootings came as Winston-Salem State, a historically Black university, was holding its homecoming weekend.

"This senseless violence has shaken our university community, and our hearts are heavy," Chancellor Bonita J. Brown said.

Brown said the effects reached beyond campus. "We also recognize the concern and anxiety these events have created among our students, parents, families and broader community," she said.

In her statement, published by KMBC, Brown said people in the university community "may have witnessed or experienced things that no one should have to endure."

The university said students can contact counseling services at (336) 750-3270 or use Togetherall. KMBC reported that in-person counseling sessions are scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

The university canceled the remaining homecoming events. The university said those plans included the Fourth Quarter event and its participation in WSSU Day at Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Emmanuel Baptist Church will instead lead a Call to Prayer, the university said.