On January 20, 2024, 20-year-old Devonte Michael Hayes was found fatally shot inside a vacant building on East Devonshire Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Responding to reports of a shooting around 2:17 p.m., police discovered Hayes suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Additionally, an 18-year-old woman sustained minor injuries, and a 49-year-old man later arrived at a local hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, both connected
to the same incident.
The investigation led to the arrest of four individuals charged with general murder in connection to Hayes' death. In April 2024, authorities charged 18-year-old Camren Mahki Poole and 23-year-old Danny Isaiah Gadberry. Poole was already in custody at the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center on unrelated charges when he was served with the murder warrant. Gadberry was apprehended with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and held without bond.
Subsequent developments in late May 2024 resulted in the arrests of 18-year-old Nathan Elijah Bullard and 27-year-old Uriel Mariche Hernandez. Hernandez had been detained by the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office on unrelated matters since May 19 and was served with the murder warrant while in custody, awaiting transfer to Forsyth County. Bullard was located and arrested by the Winston-Salem Police Department's Gang Unit on May 29 and held without bond.
Investigators confirmed that Hayes and the suspects were acquainted, indicating the homicide was not a random act of violence. With these arrests, authorities stated they were not seeking additional suspects, suggesting the case had reached a significant resolution.
