A&T police held a press conference on Tuesday to confirm that a man arrested earlier this week on campus is the man sought in a December homicide.Isaam Mattaay Chaplin, 28, was arrested after a dispute over litter at the Memorial Student Union. After a record check, A&T police transfered him to Greensboro police custody. Chaplin has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Juan Estaban Salado, said Greensboro Police.A&T Police Officer Tony Scott A&T responded to a call about a verbal dispute at the Memorial Student Union between an unidentified student and Chaplin. “Once I got to the scene the verbal altercation was over with, I saw Mr. Chaplin sitting on the steps of the union and I made contact with him.” Scott followed his procedures by running Chaplin’s name through the system before release and the name came back as a person of interest in connection to a homicide in Greensboro. Capt. Janice Rogers checked Chaplin’s records when they when they came in over the radio and found he was wanted on a charge of driving on a suspended license and that he was wanted for further questioning concerning a homicide.An A&T Official stressed the routine nature of the arrest. “Quite frankly, when we got the call we didn’t know that it dealt with a major case in Greensboro.” A&T Police were unaware of the exact homicide in question but they booked the suspect and completed the transfer with Greensboro Police Department so further investigations could take place. They received the call approximately at 10:30 p.m. Monday night confirming that the suspect they arrested was wanted as suspect in a homicide outside of the Old Navy at Friendly Center.Salado, a 25-year-old Brinks Security officer, was shot and killed on Dec. 15..Surveillance video showed a black man dressed like a woman wearing hospital scrubs entered the store, apparently waiting for the armored truck. Salado was shot in the head before the suspect fled the scene.Scott, the arresting officer, described the news from Greensboro Police as a fist-pumping moment. When he was informed of the importance of the case, Scott was excited and felt accomplished because of his important arrest.”This is someone that the city of Greensboro had not given up looking for, so to actually apprehend this guy is a good thing.” Chaplin is being held in the Guilford County Jail without bond.
- Leroy Mikell