Planned Fight Escalates Into Shooting Near Jefferson Middle School in Winston-Salem, Killing 2 Teens

A planned fight among teenagers at Leinbach Park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, erupted into gunfire Monday morning, killing two teens and wounding five others, police said.

CNN reported that authorities received a call about a fight in progress around 9:52 a.m., and that while officers were en route they were alerted “shots had been fired and that multiple individuals had been struck by gunfire,” Winston-Salem Police Capt. Kevin Burns said during a news conference.

ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

CNN said police found a 17-year-old male in the parking lot identified as Erubey Romero Medina suffering from a gunshot wound, and found 16-year-old Daniel Jimenez Millian further inside the park who had also been shot.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene, CNN reported, and five more teenagers ages 14 to 19 were wounded with injuries ranging from critical to minor.

The shooting happened at Leinbach Park, near Jefferson Middle School, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said the park borders the middle school, while police said the shooting did not happen on school property.

Fox News similarly described “a planned” fight between two juveniles that escalated into gunfire just after 9:50 a.m. in Leinbach Park near Jefferson Middle School.

Associated Press said the planned fight escalated into a mass shooting at a North Carolina park Monday morning that left two teenage boys dead and five other people injured, with Winston-Salem police Capt. Kevin Burns saying a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old died at the scene after being shot around 10 a.m.

Multiple outlets placed the incident at Leinbach Park, described as next to Jefferson Middle School in Winston-Salem, and they aligned on the morning timing while differing slightly on the exact call and shooting moments.

CNN said the shooting unfolded in a public park during the morning hours and that authorities received a call about a fight in progress around 9:52 a.m., with officers then alerted “shots had been fired and that multiple individuals had been struck by gunfire,” Winston-Salem Police Capt. Kevin Burns said.

Associated Press

Fox News said shots rang out just after 9:50 a.m. amid a planned fight between two juveniles in Leinbach Park near Jefferson Middle School, and it quoted the Winston-Salem Police Department writing on X that “When the individuals met at the park, the situation escalated significantly, leading to multiple people exchanging gunfire.”

WRAL said officers were called to the park around 9:52 a.m. and that when they arrived they found a 17-year-old dead in the parking lot and a 16-year-old dead further inside the park.

Associated Press said Capt. Kevin Burns reported the teens died at the scene after being shot around 10 a.m. at Leinbach Park, near a middle school.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation stressed that the shooting did not happen at the school, but in the nearby park, and police said the school was open and operating on a normal schedule, according to Fox News.

CNN added that nearby Mount Tabor High School was also placed on a secure hold but continued with classes, and parents were allowed to pick their students up if they wanted.

Winston-Salem police and state investigators emphasized that the incident involved multiple people and that authorities were still determining roles as they searched for accountability.

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CNN quoted Winston-Salem Police Capt. Kevin Burns saying, “Detectives are actively working to determine each individual’s role in this incident,” and it added that “Preliminary information indicates that some of those injured may have also been involved in the shooting,” the captain said.

CNN also reported that there were no suspects in custody, with Winston-Salem Police Chief William Penn, Jr. saying, “There are no suspects in custody,” and declining to comment on potential charges because the investigation was ongoing.

WRAL said Penn told WXII that no one was in custody but authorities believed some of those injured may have also been involved in the shooting, and it included Penn’s direct reaction: “I feel like everyone else. I’m frustrated, I’m angry, I’m sad. This didn’t have to happen,” Penn said.

Associated Press similarly quoted Penn saying, “I feel like everyone else. I’m frustrated, I’m angry, I’m sad. This didn’t have to happen,” and it reported that Penn said he couldn’t immediately answer whether the teens who died were the ones scheduled to fight.

NBC News also reported Penn’s remarks and said he could not immediately answer whether the teens who died were the ones scheduled to fight, and that he said “no” when asked if it was known what the fight was about.

ABC11 Raleigh-Durham added that Winston-Salem police Assistant Chief Jason Swaim said two juveniles had agreed to meet at the park to fight and that a firearm was discharged during the fight.

While all outlets described a planned fight escalating into gunfire at Leinbach Park near Jefferson Middle School, they framed the incident with different emphases on what authorities knew and what they did not.

CNN highlighted the Gun Violence Archive context, saying the incident marks the 117th mass shooting in the US so far this year, and it quoted the archive’s definition that it defines a mass shooting as injuring or killing four or more people, not including the shooter.

CNN

Fox News focused on the police characterization of the fight as “planned” and quoted the Winston-Salem Police Department on X that “When the individuals met at the park, the situation escalated significantly, leading to multiple people exchanging gunfire,” while it said “Several people, both victims and suspects were located.”

WRAL emphasized the number of people involved by saying police believe more people were involved in the fight than the seven people who were shot, and it added that the shooting was confined to the park.

Associated Press emphasized the ages and gender distribution, reporting that five other people injured were between the ages of 14 and 19 and that officials said four of those victims are female.

WBTV provided a more granular breakdown of the five teenagers shot, saying four were girls aged 14, 15, 17, and 19 and that the other teenager injured was a 18-year-old boy, while it also said it was unclear what condition each of the teenagers are in at the time of writing.

Across outlets, the schools’ status was described similarly as safe or operating normally, but CNN said Jefferson Middle School was briefly placed on a secure hold earlier in the day while police said the shooting did not happen on school property, whereas Fox News said the school was open and operating on a normal schedule.

As authorities continued to investigate, the immediate consequences for the community centered on safety measures around schools, the status of the injured, and the uncertainty about charges and motives.

“A "planned" fight involving several young people that escalated into a shooting near a North Carolina middle school left two dead Monday and several others wounded, authorities said”

Fox News

CNN said nearby Jefferson Middle School was briefly placed on a secure hold earlier in the day and that parents were allowed to pick their students up from those schools if they wanted, while police said the shooting did not happen on school property.

Fox News

WRAL reported that Jefferson Middle and Mount Tabor High School were locked down while police investigated, but classes continued as normal, and it said multiple roads were closed in the area.

CNN said injuries ranged from critical to minor, with the names of the wounded not released, and it reported that the incident involved teenagers ages 14 to 19.

Associated Press said the five other people injured were between the ages of 14 and 19 and suffered injuries ranging from critical to minor, and it reported that officials said four of those victims are female.

WBTV said the injuries ranged from critical to minor and that it was unclear what condition each of the teenagers are in at the time of this writing, while it also listed the five teenagers shot as including girls aged 14, 15, 17, and 19 and an 18-year-old boy.

CNN reported that there were no suspects in custody and that Chief William Penn declined to comment on potential charges because the investigation was ongoing.