Police have arrested 20-year-old Dyteon Simpson for the shooting death of Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball player Wayde Sims. Baton Rouge officials said that Simpson was arrested after confessing to the crime that took place in the early-morning hours of Friday. DNA at the scene led police to Simpson.
Wayde Sims was a junior forward on the LSU basketball team and became involved in an altercation after midnight on Friday. USA Today reports that Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul explained that a friend of Sims was fighting with someone near a Subway not far from Southern University’s A.W. Mumford Stadium, the location of homecoming festivities this weekend. Sims stepped into the fight in an effort to defend his friend and was shot in the process at about 12:25 a.m. He was taken to the hospital where he later died from his wounds. Police circulated a video of the incident in hopes of receiving assistance from the public in identifying men involved in the incident.
LSU basketball coach Will Wade described Sims as a “jokester” and said that as one of the few players who owned a car; the generous 20-year-old often provided teammates a ride when they needed to run errands or get to an appointment. Wade expressed his grief.
“This is your worst nightmare as a coach. This is what you worry about at all times. There’s problems everywhere, so you just want to educate your guys as best as possible to stay away from those situations and unfortunately, sometimes, these lessons are the toughest.”
Wade praised Sims earlier this week during a radio broadcast, calling him “the guy I’ve been most impressed with” and saying, “He’s done a really nice job.”
Police arrest a suspect in the shooting death of Louisiana State University basketball player Wayde Sims https://t.co/bHpIH1LtpC pic.twitter.com/WDnfBpFOvB
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) September 29, 2018
Athletic Director Joe Alleva called Sims’ death “senseless and tragic” and said Friday was the saddest day he had experienced in the more than 40 years he has worked in college sports, according to USA Today . He added that Baton Rouge was Sims’ hometown, so people all over the city knew him and have been affected by his death.
Police obtained Dyteon Simpson’s DNA from a pair of glasses he wears and lost at the scene of the crime. He has been charged with second-degree murder and is currently being held in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a $350,000 bond. District Attorney Hillar Moore said the case will proceed to a grand jury.
Wayde Sims was chosen as the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014-2015 when he played for his high school, U-High. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last year.