WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A quiet Forsyth County neighborhood was disrupted by gunshots over the weekend. On Monday, neighbors are sharing new details about what led up to those moments.
Ronnie Brewer has lived along Silas Creek Road for more than two decades. He lived next to William Michael Fulk for most of the time.
FOX8 spoke to Brewer Monday who said he never had an issues with Fulk and that he was a good neighbor and a good person.
Sunday, Brewer noticed Fulk shooting a gun in his backyard. Neighbors tell FOX8 it wasn’t uncommon for Fulk to walk toward the woods and shoot his firearms.
Brewer was caught off guard when Fulk turned and fired three shots at his truck, one through the bed, one in the gas tank and another flattened the tire.
Brewer went outside to ask Fulk what he was doing and says Fulk turned the gun towards him. That’s when he ran inside and called 911.
Brewer and other neighbors didn’t see what happened next. Winston-Salem police officers moved them down the street when they arrived on the scene.
According to Chief William Penn Junior in a news briefing Sunday night, Fulk came outside with his gun and didn’t follow police commands.
“Shortly after Mr. Fulk came out of the residence again and fired the long gun in the direction of the officers,” Penn said. “One of our officers returned fire and struck the suspect.”
Other neighbors FOX8 spoke to say Fulk lived with his wife at the home, but his wife was not home at the time. They said it’s an odd and heavy situation with confusion about what happened and grief for the loss of their neighbor.
Some people we spoke with said they did notice the sound of gunshots increasing over the past few months and happening at odd hours.
“It’s crazy it happened in a neighborhood where there’s literally no crime whatsoever, especially when we have a lot of kids in the neighborhood, a lot of elderly people. It’s pretty concerning,” said Morgan Walker who lives along Silas Creek Road.
FOX8 asked the Winston-Salem Police Department about Fulk’s history.
A spokesperson for the department said he does not have a criminal history. Officers were dispatched to his home before, but the situation was unrelated to the shooting on Sunday.
The department has not released the identity of the officer who shot Fulk. They remain on administrative leave as the SBI investigates.
