A Winston-Salem resident turned himself in to authorities Sept. 21 after a warrant was issued for his involvement in a hit-and-run accident near Wilson Hall.
Rayshaun Lamont Staley is a suspect in an accident that occurred on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive about 3 a.m. on Sept. 15 involving a Winston-Salem State student.
Tyron Oluremi, a second-year student, was traveling southbound on the sidewalk in front of Wilson Hall on MLK, when a pickup truck, driven by Staley, jumped the curb and hit him, causing his body to be thrown into the air. According to an e-mail sent by the Winston-Salem State police, witnesses said that after Oluremi was struck, the driver backed up an drove away from the scene without checking to see if the student was injured.
The report said that Oluremi was taken to Baptist Medical Center for treatment of injuries to the head, back, and knee area, as well as X-rays.
The physicians found no broken bones, and he was later released.
“Remarkably and thankfully, the student was not seriously injured,” said Nancy Young a media and public relations director during a WGHP TV news interview Sept. 15.
The driver was originally unable to be identified. Cameras in the area, however, did survey the truck traveling southbound on MLK turning right onto Diggs Boulevard.
Sept. 17, WSSU Police Lt. Patrick Ansel located the white pickup truck.
Further investigation revealed that the vehicle was connected to Staley.
The investigation is still ongoing.
According to the N.C. Department of Corrections web site, Staley is a repeat offender. His previous offenses include drug and illegal firearm possessions; both of which are felony convictions.
In North Carolina, hit-and-runs are a felony offense as well.
Sept. 20, a warrant was issued for Staley’s arrest.
Traffic for both pedestrians and automobiles has historically been an issue on MLK.
For Anthony Gore, a junior political science major from Greensboro, personal safety on the busy throughway is “crucial.”
“Traffic is kind of crazy around [Wilson Hall],” Gore said.
“I mean, cars come flying around that corner, and you really can’t see until it’s too late.”
The city of Winston-Salem recently installed a wrought-iron fence on the median of MLK. It is intended to facilitate a safer environment for pedestrians.
Some students on campus are not as confident in the addition.
“The installation of the fence actually hurt in my opinion because now it’s hard to see down the street,” said Kazi Smith, a senior mass communications major from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Smith is a resident adviser in Wilson Hall and frequently observes pedestrians walking across MLK.
“To be honest, no one waits for the light to change, and people are taking more of a risk since that fence is in the way.”