88.5 WFDD - Najee Ali Baker: Recent Episodes
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The 2018 shooting took place at The Barn, an events space on the campus of Wake Forest University. EDDIE GARCIA/WFDD
A lawsuit filed over the shooting death of a Winston-Salem State University student on Wake Forest University's campus has been scheduled for trial.
The Winston-Salem Journal reported Monday that the court proceeding is set for Oct. 4 in federal court.
Najee Ali Baker was WSSU football player from New York. He was shot to death in 2018 when he was leaving a party that was held at The Barn on Wake Forest University’s campus. Two men were charged in his death.
Baker’s mother, Jemel Ali Dixon, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wake Forest University and others. Other defendants include Rhino Sports & Entertainment Services LLC, which provided private security at the party.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching an attorney for Rhino Sports. William Davis, an attorney for Wake Forest University, said that the school's policy is not to comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit alleges that Wake Forest University administrators were negligent and had lax security for the party at The Barn. But the school's attorneys have denied the allegations in court papers. They said school administrators had no way of preventing the shooting or predicting that it could happen.
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The Barn is an events facility on the Wake Forest University campus. Najee Ali Baker died after suffering a gunshot wound at a party held there. EDDIE GARCIA/WFDD
A North Carolina man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the 2018 shooting death of a college student.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports Jakier Austin entered the guilty plea Thursday morning in Forsyth County Superior Court.
Austin was initially charged with first-degree murder in the death of Najee Ali Baker, a Winston-Salem State University football player. Baker was shot after a party that was held in January 2018 at Wake Forest University.
Assistant District Attorney Belinda Foster said prosecutors were hampered in pursuing a first-degree murder conviction because none of the witnesses would cooperate.
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Najee Ali Baker, a walk-on for Winston-Salem State University's football team, was shot and killed while leaving a party on the campus of Wake Forest University in January 2018. Courtesy of WSSU athletics.
A partial settlement agreement has been reached in the case of a fatal shooting on the campus of Wake Forest University.
Winston-Salem State University student Najee Ali Baker was shot and killed in January of 2018 as he left a party on the campus of Wake Forest.
Two people were charged in connection with the shooting.
Baker’s mother, Jemel Dixon, filed a civil lawsuit the following year against multiple defendants including Wake Forest University, the sorority that hosted the party, Rhino Sports and Entertainment Services, and others for negligence that led to the death of her son.
The partial settlement is between the Pi Omicron chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Dixon.
Both sides have until February 28th to finalize the agreement.
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Najee Ali Baker, a walk-on for Winston-Salem State University's football team, was shot and killed while leaving a party on the campus of Wake Forest University in January 2018. Courtesy of WSSU athletics.
Wake Forest University is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit stemming from a fatal shooting on campus in 2018.
Najee Ali Baker, 21, was shot and killed as he left a party being held at The Barn, an on-campus events venue.
In the lawsuit, Baker’s mother alleges that university officials ignored a report calling for campus police to provide extra security at student events and for failing to provide enough security measures to prevent the shooting.
Wake Forest attorneys dispute those allegations, arguing that even if they are true, the lawsuit fails to prove that the university’s actions - whatever they did or didn’t do - had anything to do with Baker's death.
Baker was a student and football player at Winston-Salem State University. Two people are facing criminal charges in connection with his death.
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Jakier Shanique Austin, 21, was taken into custody late Wednesday in Charlotte. CREDIT: WSPD
Authorities have arrested the primary suspect in the shooting death of Winston-Salem State University student Najee Ali Baker. Former WSSU student Jakier Shanique Austin, 21, was taken into custody late Wednesday in Charlotte. He was apprehended by the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department without incident.
Austin has been charged with murder, possession of a gun on educational property and carrying a concealed weapon. He’s accused of shooting Baker at a party on the campus of Wake Forest University earlier this year.
Austin is currently being held at the Mecklenburg County jail with no bond allowed, pending his transfer to Forsyth County.
Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch released the following statement:
"I would like to express my solemn gratitude for the diligent work of the Winston-Salem Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies for bringing this part of the case to closure. Their tireless efforts, in cooperation with the Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University Police Departments, will help our campus communities continue to heal. Our deepest condolences remain with Mr. Baker's family and friends."
Previously, 16-year-old Malik Patience Smith was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting death of Baker. His bond was set at $100,000.
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16-year-old Malik Patience Smith (L) and 21-year-old Jakier Shanique Austin (R).(Courtesy: WSPD/Wake Forest University)
New information about the murder of Najee Ali Baker at Wake Forest University has come to light.
16-year-old Malik Patience Smith is charged in connection with the shooting death of the Winston-Salem State University student. In a bond hearing Friday, it was revealed that witnesses say Smith used a gun to control the crowd outside of the party while another man shot and killed 21-year-old Baker.
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, District Attorney Jim O’Neill asked for bond to be set at $5 million.
O’Neill characterized Smith as a “menace to society,” citing charges from two previous arrests, which include felony possession of heroin and multiple gun possession charges.
Judge David Sipprell ultimately set the bond at $100,000.
A murder warrant was issued Wednesday for 21-year-old Jakier Shanique Austin, a former student at WSSU. As of Friday afternoon, Austin had not yet been apprehended.
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Winston-Salem Police Department detectives are seeking to locate and interview these three men as part of their investigative efforts. Credit: WSPD
New information has emerged in the homicide investigation of 21-year-old Winston-Salem State University student Najee Ali Baker.
Police say prior to the shooting, an altercation involving numerous participants occurred inside The Barn, an events center on the Wake Forest University campus where the party was being held. University officials say the actual shooting occurred outside the venue.
Authorities are identifying and interviewing everyone who was either involved in the altercation or nearby at the time it occurred.
The Winston-Salem Police Department has released still images of three men who detectives are trying to locate and interview as part of the investigation.
WSPD’s Criminal Investigations Division has not yet named a suspect in the murder of Baker, and the case is ongoing.
Authorities ask that anyone with information contact the Winston-Salem Police Department at 336-773-7700 or CrimeStoppers at 336-727-2800.
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