BATON ROUGE, La. (CNN) — A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of Louisiana State University basketball player Wayde Sims.
Dyteon Simpson was taken into custody Saturday (Sept. 29) morning after admitting to shooting Sims shortly after midnight Friday (Sept. 28), Baton Rouge police Chief Murphy Paul said at a press conference Saturday.
The 20-year-old athlete suffered a gunshot wound to the head, Paul told reporters, after intervening in an altercation between his friend and Simpson, also 20.
“Wayde stepped in to defend his friend,” Paul said, “and was shot by Simpson.”
Simpson faces a second-degree murder charge, according to East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III.
Paul noted his department had received videos that captured the shooting and the events preceding it.
In an effort to get information from the community, police released footage Friday showing more than a half-dozen men fighting at the time of the shooting. The individuals in the video are seen throwing punches near some vehicles.
Detectives recovered Simpson’s glasses, which were knocked off during the fight, Paul said. After executing a DNA seizure warrant, authorities checked Simpson’s DNA against those on the glasses and found a match, the chief said.
“Simpson was questioned and admitted to being in possession of a weapon, admitting to being on the scene and admitted to shooting Wayde as well,” Paul said.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
CNN was not able to determine immediately Saturday if Simpson had an attorney.
