news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Police said downtown cameras installed earlier this year were of no help in capturing images of Thursday morning’s shooting.

In what could be considered the first real test since the cameras were installed, Assistant Chief Dwight Crotts  said cameras failed to pick up any footage useful to investigators as gunfire rang out from the intersection of February One Place and South Elm Street. 

The shooting, which occurred just after 2 a.m.,  left five people wounded  near the intersection after an argument spilled out of the N. Club at 117 S. Elm St. 

Quinton Dewayne Campbell,  22,  of Winston-Salem  is accused of firing a handgun along February One Place, striking four  people standing at the intersection.

He was shot three times by Cpl. J.M. Atkins.

The intersection where the shooting occurred is not equipped with a camera. 

Crotts said the nearest camera, at South Elm and East Market streets,  was unable to capture any images of the shooting.

“The location of the cameras themselves didn’t do us a whole lot of good in this incident,” Crotts said.

The city partnered with Downtown Greensboro Inc. to buy and place several cameras to increase security in the center city. They were installed last spring.

Crotts said to his knowledge, the cameras have not yet assisted officers in making an arrest nor have they helped during an investigation of a crime downtown.

“We have used them when we are patrolling scheduled big events,” Crotts said. “We have them monitored during those times and they give us a benefit of having an extra set of eyes.”

Crotts said the department is working on a six-month review of the camera systems to determine their security value so far.

That review will look at whether the cameras have been placed appropriately throughout downtown, how they are monitored and whether they are providing evidence to police investigations.

The review will also analyze the camera equipment to determine whether it has been appropriate for the department’s needs.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com