Rocky Mount’s T.J. Walker released on bond after NCCU gun arrest

T.J. Walker is out of custody, but the Rocky Mount councilman now faces a felony case over a handgun he allegedly carried onto North Carolina Central University’s campus during homecoming celebrations. His release after posting a $10,000 bond leaves two weapons charges unresolved—not proven—and a sitting elected official facing questions he has not publicly answered in the reporting available. ¹

North Carolina Central University Campus Police arrested Walker on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Durham, according to local reporting. WITN, citing a magistrate’s order, identifies him as 34. WRAL’s arrest-report account gives his full name as Timothy Jerome Walker Jr.; he represents Rocky Mount’s Ward 4. ^{2 3 8}

Walker is charged with felony possession of a gun on educational property and misdemeanor carrying a concealed gun. Court documents, as described in WRAL’s broadcast report, identify the alleged handgun as a Glock 23 Gen 5. Neither charge, by itself, establishes that anyone fired a weapon or threatened another person. ^{1 4}

The distinction matters. This is a reported campus possession case, not an established account of a shooting or confrontation. The available evidence does not explain what brought Walker to officers’ attention, how they discovered the handgun or what happened immediately before the arrest. It establishes no shooting, injury or threat; that limit should not be mistaken for a complete reconstruction of the incident.

WRAL places the alleged possession on NCCU’s campus during homecoming celebrations. Charlotte Alerts gives a narrower location—the football game—but that detail has not been independently established. The precise campus venue and arrest time remain unconfirmed, and no official university schedule was recovered to pin the arrest to a particular homecoming event. ^{1 5}

North Carolina’s educational-property statute explains why the location matters legally. Its definition of a school includes colleges and universities, while educational property extends beyond classrooms to campuses, grounds, recreational areas and athletic fields, as well as other property owned, used or operated for school administration. An allegation on university grounds can therefore engage an educational-property charge rather than only a general weapons allegation. ¹⁹

Those definitions are context, not proof of the offense. The statutory material available for this account does not establish the application of the operative prohibition or exceptions to Walker’s circumstances. No verified account establishes whether an exception could be relevant, what defense he might raise or his specific sentencing exposure. The court will have to address the allegations on the evidence, not on the significance of his job title.

WRAL reported that Walker did not respond to its request for comment and that Rocky Mount declined to comment on legal proceedings. Neither response establishes an admission, a defense position or a city disciplinary decision. No subsequent substantive statement from Walker is established in the reporting examined. ¹

One part of the initial account needs correction: 2023 was not the beginning of Walker’s council service. He won the Ward 4 election on October 8, 2019, defeating Elaine B. Williams. Ballotpedia dates his assumption of office to December 9, 2019. The available excerpt of the city’s December 2019 minutes does not reproduce his oath, so that precise taking-office date rests on the election-reference entry rather than an independently confirmed swearing-in passage. ^{17 18 28}

The city’s own records establish the later milestone more directly. Its December 11, 2023 agenda lists T.J. Walker Jr. under the swearing-in of reelected officials for a term running from 2023 through 2027; the city directory lists the same term. That official record supersedes Ballotpedia’s stale term endpoint of 2023. The accurate distinction is initial service in 2019, followed by reelection in 2023. ^{29 8 17}

His position makes the case a matter of public accountability. It does not turn an arrest into guilt, and the evidence available establishes no resignation, removal or change in his council responsibilities. Residents have a legitimate interest in both his explanation and the court’s handling of the charges. Those are separate questions from whether he should be presumed to have committed either offense.

The next reported step is a court appearance on Thursday. In the context of WRAL’s October 11 report, that points to October 15, 2026—but no Walker-specific docket or complete scheduling order was recovered to verify that appointment, and no appearance time is established. General court-calendar information is not a substitute for his case entry. ^{1 23}

WRAL’s report establishes the bond amount and release, but not whether the bond was secured or unsecured or what other release conditions apply. No plea, adjudication or verdict is established. For now, the consequential developments to watch are confirmation of the court schedule and Walker’s answer to the charges—not an outcome inferred from his release. ¹