'Planned fight' leads to mass shooting at park: 2 killed, 5 wounded, NC police say

Mark Price, The Charlotte Observer on Apr 20, 2026

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Seven people were shot Monday morning at a city-owned park in Winston-Salem and two have died, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of investigation report.

It happened just before 10 a.m. in Leinbach Park near Jefferson Middle School, and the dead have been identified as 16-year-old Daniel Jimenez Millian and 17-year-old Erubey Romero Medina, Winston-Salem police said at a news conference.

Injuries to the five wounded range from minor to critical, and they include: a 14-year-old girl; 15-year-old girl; 17-year-old girl; an 18-year-old male and a 19-year-old male, police said. All five were found in the parking lot at 3474 Robinhood Road, officials said.

Winston-Salem police officers responded to the park on Sally Kirk Road after learning of a fight in progress. They arrived to find “a group of individuals fleeing the area,” officials said.

“The incident began at approximately 9:52 a.m. as a planned fight involving two young individuals,” police said in a social media post. “When the individuals met at the park, the situation escalated significantly, leading to multiple people exchanging gunfire.”

Several individuals — “both victims and suspects” — have been identified and located, and police are “working to determine each individual’s role in this incident.”

“Some of the injured may have also been involved in the shooting,” police said.

No arrests have been made, police said.

Maps show Leinback Park is just north of Jefferson Middle School, which has about 770 students in grades six through eight.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Don Phipps said “there was never any threat to students” during the incident.

“Following our Standard Response Protocol, nearby schools went on secure status out of an abundance of caution,” Phipps said in a news release.

“As your superintendent, I am calling on our entire community to come together to confront the gun violence that is taking the lives of our young people. It is a community responsibility that requires partnership, accountability, and action from all of us. Let’s stand united to protect our children and ensure they have the safe, hopeful future they deserve.”

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