Nearly a year after one person was shot on the outskirts of UNC campus, a jury in Orange County court found a Durham man guilty for the gun violence.

29-year-old Ronell Canion was found guilty on all counts of assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle on Wednesday following a six-day trial. The case stems back to April 2, 2023, when UNC issued a campus-wide alert saying someone had been non-fatally shot along Mason Farm Road in a housing community owned by the university. Canion evaded authorities on the day, but was arrested in Durham County on April 11 and held in detention since.

“This was an extremely violent shooting that endangered the life of not just his intended victim, who was seriously injured, but also dozens of innocent bystanders, including multiple children,” Orange and Chatham District Attorney Jeff Nieman said in a release following Wednesday’s verdict. “Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for unintended victims to be shot and killed in crimes like this, particularly when someone brazenly opens fire in such a public place in broad daylight. Mr. Canion showed no remorse for his actions and even attempted to influence witnesses outside of court during the trial.

“Without question,” Nieman added, “our community is safer following this verdict and sentence.”

Because the shooting was on the edge of UNC campus, the response in April 2023 included several law enforcement agencies. Ultimately, UNC Police Department had the lead investigator for the case — Daniel Brown — who Nieman said worked with his district attorney office staff for “hundreds of hours.” Nieman added that Canion’s efforts to influence witnesses made the case particularly difficult, as it was challenging to convince people to testify against the Durham resident.

Orange County Judge William Wood sentenced Canion to 221 to 278 months (18 years and 5 months to 23 years and 2 months) imprisonment in the Department of Adult Correction, according to the district attorney office’s release.

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