Deshaun Christian Capers, 20, a Black/African American male, died in the early minutes of August 3, 2025, after he was found with gunshot wounds along the 3000 block of North Patterson Avenue near 30th Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Officers responded around 12:25–12:30 a.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene. In the hours that followed, police said the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident, part of a violent weekend that saw multiple homicides across the city.
Four days later, on August 7, investigators arrested 18-year-old Gerard Lewis of Kernersville and charged him with first-degree murder in Capers’ killing. Authorities reported that Lewis was taken into custody without bond following the investigation; booking records reflect an arrest the evening of August 6–7 in Forsyth County on a first-degree murder charge. Police continued to describe the case as isolated while they worked through evidence and leads.
Details released publicly indicate Capers was discovered on the roadway near North Patterson Avenue and 30th Street, where streets were briefly closed for the investigation before reopening. Local coverage and violence-tracking databases list the date and place of his death and tie the scene to that same intersection.
Community reporting that weekend underscored the toll of youth violence in Winston-Salem, with officials appealing for cooperation and guidance for young people even as detectives continued their work on Capers’ case. Subsequent memorial listings and victim databases recorded his death on August 3 in Winston-Salem.
