Police announced an arrest in the 2016 killing of two North Carolina A&T State University students, who police say were “innocent bystanders” to a fight that broke out at a party.
Lawrence Jacques Baird, 27, of Greensboro, was arrested at his home Tuesday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of 21-year-old Ahmad Campbell and 19-year old Alisia Dieudonne.
He is also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, discharging a firearm into an occupied property and probation violation, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.
He was given a $4 million bond during his court appearance Friday.
Dieudonne, a sophomore from Illinois, was studying computer science at NC A&T. Campbell, a junior North Carolina-native, was studying agriculture and environmental science systems.
It’s been nearly two years since Campbell and Dieudonne were shot and killed at an off-campus party on Circle Drive on Oct. 2, 2016.
Greensboro Police Chief Wayne Scott said Friday, “This case has been an extremely difficult one for our community, for the families. It has taken literally hundreds of thousands of hours of police work to reach the point that we’ve made this arrest. I think it is a point of closure for many of those involved.”
The aunt of Dieudonne was wiping away tears when FOX8 spoke with her Friday. She said this doesn’t bring her niece back but that today is a good day.
On the day of the shooting at about 2 a.m., police responded to a disturbance at a party being held at 911 Circle Drive.
Upon arrival, officers located Dieudonne and Campbell suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced deceased.
The university released this statement Friday:
“The North Carolina A&T community is relieved to know that an arrest has been made in the murders of Ahmad Campbell and Alisha Dieudonne. Our hearts go out to the families of Alisha and Ahmad. They have suffered unimaginably over the past 22 months. This has been a painful ordeal for the A&T community, as well. We hope this arrest brings some measure of closure to all who knew Alisha and Ahmad, and we remain hopeful that justice will be delivered in this case. Finally, we offer our sincere thanks to members of the Greensboro Police Department for their diligence and commitment to this case.”
