GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The victim in a deadly weekend shooting has been identified by police, who have not been able to locate next-of-kin.
According to Greensboro Police Department, two people were shot in the parking lot of Dudley High School after a football game at the school on Friday.
Officers were working security at the game when the shooting happened and they found the two victims, a juvenile with non-life-threatening injuries and Matthew Wayne Grant, 59, who died.
“Greensboro Police have exhausted all resources in attempt to locate any next of kin for Grant,” the department writes in a release.
The suspect vehicle also hit two pedestrians who were treated for minor injuries.
Guilford County Schools canceled weekend activities after the shooting.
“The safety of our students and staff is our utmost concern,” the school district said in a statement.
North Carolina High School Athletics Association confirmed that the victim worked as an official for their organization but was not officiating that game in particular.
GCS released the following statement on Monday:
Dear GCS Families and Community,
On Friday, September 29, a shooting incident occurred after the Dudley High versus Smith High football game. The incident happened in the parking lot, within 50 feet of two police patrol cars, lights flashing.
I was at the game Friday night. The game was peaceful, well-planned and well-staffed by law enforcement and school staff. Yet, despite these efforts, as students, families and fans were leaving the campus after the game, one individual not believed to be affiliated with either school was shot and killed. Additionally, a Smith High student also suffered gunshot injuries, and two other individuals were injured by a vehicle and were treated and released. What should have been the beginning of Dudley’s homecoming celebration with fun and fanfare became a crime scene.
This must stop.
Incidents of violence have no place in our school community. This incident is not about Dudley High, Smith High, or any of our schools. It is about our willingness as a community to stop this senseless violence from happening on our campuses and in our communities.
I have said before that we have a gun epidemic in this country. Guns are too accessible and easy to fall into the wrong hands. Recent community violence trends and the incident on Friday further proved that truth, and it is clear that we as a community must do more to address violence.
We know that firearms have become the number one cause of death for children and adolescents in the United States. While the district cannot solve this gun crisis on our own, we will continue to collaborate with all three local law enforcement agencies in Guilford County, doing our part to address this crisis.
Guilford County Schools leaders are resolved to continue our work to keep our students, staff and visitors safe. School safety is a top priority for me, having been elevated to a key component in the district’s four strategic direction focus areas. As part of this effort, the district deployed more than a dozen new tactics for our comprehensive school safety strategy listed below, including:
● Significantly expanding and restructuring our district’s school safety and emergency
management office;
● Upgrading more than 2,000 cameras with advanced technology;
● Installing school bus cameras across the district;
● Adding touchless security scanners at all of our comprehensive middle and high schools;
● Employing safe entry points at athletic events;
● Implementing a clear bag policy at athletic events;
● Partnering and training with local law enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency
Management and fire department officials;
● Installing anonymous reporting capabilities on all district devices in grades three and up;
● Adding mental health supports for students and staff;
● Engaging students in leadership about this important issue;
● Revising our code of conduct;
● Providing staffing incentives for athletic events; and
● Implementing anti-bullying training and reporting procedures for staff to name a few.
My team and I have also been working with leaders across the community to address this problem. Solving this important issue requires a multi-layered approach and long-term commitment from our community as a whole.
While there is not one solution to solving the challenges we face, I invite you to join us in having courageous conversations and working together to improve the safety of our community. I also want to remind everyone to say something to a school staff member or law enforcement official if they see something suspicious and only share information you can personally verify.
Together, we can make our communities safer.
In partnership,
Whitney Oakley, Ed.D.
Superintendent
