College Basketball

Arrest made in shooting death of LSU player Wayde Sims

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:46 p.m. ET

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An arrest has been made in the shooting death of LSU basketball player Wayde Sims.

Baton Rouge police said Saturday that 20-year-old Dyteon Simpson has been charged with second-degree murder and is at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Sims was shot early Friday during a street fight caught on video near the Southern University campus.

Baton Police Chief Murphy Paul said at a media conference Saturday that investigators concluded from the video and DNA evidence collected at the scene that a man who could be scene punching a friend of Sims shortly before the shooting was Simpson.

"Wayde stepped in to defend his friend and was shot by Simpson," Paul said.

The department is crediting the Louisiana State Police fugitive task force, the state police crime lab, Southern University police and area citizens in assisting in the investigation leading to the arrest.

Paul said eye glasses found at the scene of the shooting were tested for DNA that matches that of Simpson. Murphy also said Simpson was arrested without incident after telling investigators that he was at the scene of the fight, had a gun and fired it at Sims.

It is unclear whether Simpson has an attorney.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva thanked area law enforcement for its "diligence and pursuit of justice."

Sims was 20 years old. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds a game last season. He grew up in Baton Rouge, where his father, Wayne, also played basketball for LSU.