Wake Forest

A WSSU Football Player Killed at a Wake Forest Sorority Party: 'The Barn' Becomes the Site of an On-Campus Homicide

Saturday, January 20, 2018NCshootingemergency notificationhigh confidence

Confirmed Threat

On the early morning of January 20, 2018, Najee Ali Baker, a 21-year-old Winston-Salem State University football player, was fatally shot inside The Barn — an event venue on Wake Forest University's Reynolda Campus — during a party hosted by the Pi Omicron chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Wake Forest issued a Wake Alert at approximately 1:00 AM EST directing the campus community to shelter in place while Winston-Salem police investigated. The suspect, 21-year-old Jakier Shanique Austin, fled the scene and was arrested on April 11, 2018; he later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 64-89 months in prison.

Alerts: 2
Response: —
Killed: 1
Injured: 0

Institution

Wake Forest University

Private R1 · NC

~8,800 studentsWake Alert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTSMSJan 20, 2018, 7:03 AM EST

Verified verbatimWFDD (88.5 FM Public Radio) reporting quoting the initial Wake Alert text66 chars

Armed and dangerous person reported at The Barn. Seek shelter now.

Wake Forest's first Wake Alert went out at 2:03 AM EST on January 20, 2018, roughly an hour after the 1:00 AM shooting at The Barn — the gap reflected the time it took for police to confirm an active threat following the chaotic post-party scene

The 65-character SMS is unusually terse for a homicide alert and notable for its blunt 'Armed and dangerous' framing instead of the typical 'shots fired' phrasing

The party was hosted by the Pi Omicron chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and was attended by an estimated 400 people, many from outside the Wake Forest community

UPDATETwitter/XJan 20, 2018, 7:23 AM EST+20 min

Verified verbatimWake Alert verified X account211 chars

Winston-Salem Police and University Police are searching for a suspect in a shooting at The Barn on the @WakeForest campus tonight. Police do not believe the suspect is on campus. More at https://t.co/UASxJdgEYB

Wake Alert's update on X was posted approximately 20 minutes after the initial SMS, expanding on the situation while confirming the suspect had fled campus

Notable for the explicit 'Police do not believe the suspect is on campus' reassurance — used to justify lifting the shelter-in-place while still asking students to avoid the area

The shelter-in-place was lifted within a few hours, though students were asked to avoid the immediate area as Winston-Salem police processed the scene

Context

Background

Wake Forest University is a private R1 research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with an undergraduate population of approximately 5,500. The Barn is an event venue on the university's Reynolda Campus that the university rents to student organizations for events. On the early morning of January 20, 2018, the Pi Omicron chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority — a multi-school chapter that draws from Wake Forest, Winston-Salem State University, and other area institutions — hosted a party at The Barn that drew approximately 400 attendees. Around 12:50 AM EST, an altercation broke out and 21-year-old Najee Ali Baker, a Winston-Salem State University football player, was fatally shot. Baker was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The shooter fled the scene before Winston-Salem police arrived. Wake Forest's Wake Alert system issued a shelter-in-place directive shortly after, which was lifted within a few hours once police determined the suspect had left the campus. On April 11, 2018, 21-year-old Jakier Shanique Austin was arrested and charged with murder; he later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 64-89 months in prison. Baker's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wake Forest, alleging insufficient security at The Barn for an event of that size, but U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Eagles dismissed the suit with prejudice in August 2021 and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal in May 2022, with both courts ruling Baker's killing was not foreseeable and Wake Forest had not breached its duty of care. The case prompted Wake Forest to review its policies for renting The Barn to student groups and tighten security requirements for large events.

Analysis

Key Findings

A Winston-Salem State University football player was killed at a sorority party held at a Wake Forest event venue, illustrating how non-Wake Forest students can be victims of on-campus violence at events open to outside attendees

The shooter was not a Wake Forest student; he fled the scene and was arrested nearly three months later

Wake Forest was sued for wrongful death but was dismissed from the lawsuit by a North Carolina court in 2022

The case prompted Wake Forest to revise its event-rental policies for The Barn, including stricter security requirements for large parties

Outcome

Najee Ali Baker, a Winston-Salem State University football player, was shot during an altercation inside The Barn and pronounced dead at the hospital. Suspect Jakier Shanique Austin fled and was arrested approximately three months later. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 64-89 months in prison. Wake Forest faced a wrongful death lawsuit; a federal judge dismissed it in August 2021 and the Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal in May 2022.

Provenance

Sources

News
Winston-Salem State Student Shot, Killed at Wake Forest (Campus Safety Magazine)
campussafetymagazine.com
Official
On-campus shooting information (Wake Forest News)
news.wfu.edu
Official
President Hatch: Update about on-campus shooting investigation (Inside WFU)
inside.wfu.edu
Official
Jan. 24 WSPD update: Arrest made in the on-campus shooting investigation (Inside WFU)
inside.wfu.edu
News
Man who shot, killed WSSU football player at Wake Forest University event in 2018 sentenced (FOX8 WGHP)
myfox8.com
News
Court: Wake Forest University not liable for fatal campus shooting of WSSU student (Winston-Salem Journal)
journalnow.com

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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