Zyquarius Shalom Quadre Bradley, a 19-year-old African American male, was tragically shot and killed on the night of April 20, 2018, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The incident occurred amidst a city-wide "paintball war" that had been gaining traction on social media as part of a campaign to curb gun violence. Bradley's body was discovered next to a car on the 3300 block of Beck Street, which was covered in paintballs. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds from an actual firearm, not a paintball gun.
Earlier that evening, police had confiscated paintball guns from Bradley during a separate call. Approximately an hour later, five people called 911 to report a drive-by shooting. Witnesses stated that Bradley had been sitting in his car when he was shot. They pulled him out of the car and attempted CPR, but he had been shot in the chest and succumbed to his injuries. The shooter was reported to be in a 1990s Buick or a similar vehicle.
The Greensboro police linked Bradley's death to the ongoing paintball battles in the city, which had resulted in numerous paintball-related incidents, including assault and vandalism. The "Paintballs Up, Guns Down" campaign, backed by social media influencers and rappers, aimed to reduce gun violence by encouraging the use of paintball guns instead. However, this campaign inadvertently led to fatal shootings involving real firearms.
The investigation into Bradley's death revealed that the paintball wars had escalated tensions among participants, leading to the tragic outcome. The police emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the need for strict enforcement of laws related to such activities. Despite the efforts to curb gun violence, the unintended consequences of the paintball wars highlighted the complexities of addressing such issues in the community.
