WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — Winston-Salem police are investigating five drive-by shootings in two days.
Five people were hurt, and two were critically injured. Some of the shootings happened a mile apart from one another.
People we spoke with today didn’t want to go on camera because they say they are scared for their lives.
Hemlock Drive was the first stop for officers on Tuesday around 10:45 p.m.
They found nearly a dozen shell casings. As they were investigating that shooting, officers responded to another on North Glenn Avenue.
Police linked 20-year-old Frank Parker to the crime and arrested him the next day. A quick search shows there were at least 16 shootings in the area since Aug. 1.
On Tuesday around 9:10 p.m., police say two teens, ages 16 and 18, were shot in the 1200 block of Alder Street.
Police were told a man in a dark-colored vehicle shot them.
It’s where we found a Winston-Salem State University student studying around noon Friday. She did not want to be identified.
“It’s actually extremely scary. I came out here to study. I study at a lot of parks…honestly, it doesn’t make me feel safe knowing all this stuff is going on,” she said.
She says hearing about the alarming numbers of drive-by shootings is terrifying,
“Bullets don’t have names on them. A lot of drive-by shootings miss the guy they were supposed to hit and hit me or someone else,” she said.
Officers also responded to two more shootings Wednesday night. One on Akron Drive and another on West Sprague Street.
The WSPD sent FOX8 the following statement.
From January 1 – December 1, 2021, there were 271 Discharging of firearms into an occupied dwelling or vehicle. Compared to the same period in 2022 we have had 296. Whether these shots were fired from a vehicle, is not a category captured.
We frequently allocate personnel to address calls for service involving firearms. The Police Department’s Gang Unit, Gun Crime Reduction Unit, and Violent Firearms Investigation Team are part of our response to these crimes.
The Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) and its technology, to include ShotSpotter, have assisted us in investigating and solving some of these crimes. The Winston-Salem Police Department encourages citizens to visit connectwinstonsalem.org to register their residential cameras and encourage businesses to integrate their cameras to the RTCC as these are valuable assets used in investigating and solving these crimes.
Anyone with any information on the shootings is urged to call WSPD at (336) 773-7700.
–Winston-Salem Police Department
