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Wilmington, NC — A 20-year-old White woman was shot and killed last Thursday after a 21-year-old Black man mishandled a firearm, according to police.
On September 26, Wilmington police responded to a shooting at an off-campus student housing complex on Campus Cove. A gun believed to be unloaded, discharged, striking Skyler Patillo. She was transported to a local hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Skyler Patillo, a licensed esthetician for the past three years, had recently succeeded in expanding her small business into its own dedicated location.
Police arrested Triston Spencer for involuntary manslaughter in connection to the shooting. He is currently being held on $150,000 bail.
According to WECT News 6, Spencer attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington during the fall of 2023 and the summer of 2024.
Aspire 349, the site of the recent shooting, was bought by Balfour Beatty Communities and Apex One Investment Partners in 2018 for $43.2 million. Balfour Beatty’s leadership had promised to “deliver an exceptional living experience” when the deal closed.
According to financial reports from Balfour Beatty Communities’ British parent company, the student housing sector showed positive cash flow. Their assets in this sector grew from £128 million in 2022 to £137 million by the end of 2023, a 7% increase.
However, the financial growth has done little for Aspire 349 residents, who faced a violent 2024. Less than two months ago, Wilmington police responded to a double shooting at the complex. One man died on the scene, while the other survived.
Days later, police in Buffalo, NY, arrested 23-year-old Craig Lynch—who is Black—for obstructing a separate investigation. While in custody, they linked Lynch to the Wilmington shooting, charging him with first-degree murder, among other charges.
Wilmington, located in southeastern North Carolina, has a population which is over 70% White. Black residents make up 16.5% of the population, while Latinos and individuals of mixed race account for approximately 7%.
Over the last five years, Black residents accounted for 74% of homicide arrests, while Whites, representing only 14% of offenders, made up 25% of homicide victims.
White people with interpersonal relationships with Black people often find themselves the victims of Black violence.
Earlier this month a White father of two was shot dead in a small upstate New York town after a domestic dispute. A Black man who was in a relationship with his girlfriend’s daughter was charged in connection with the crime.
At the beginning of the month, a White teenager was killed in a “gun deal gone wrong.” An 18-year-old Black man—who was involved in another deadly shooting earlier in the year—was charged for the crime.
