By ERIK VERDUZCO Associated Press
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A planned fight among young people escalated into a mass shooting at a Winston-Salem park Monday morning that left two people dead, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 10 a.m. at Leinbach Park, which is near Jefferson Middle School, Winston-Salem police said in a social media post.
Several people were shot, including two fatally, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
Police are asking for the public’s help to find the suspects.
In an afternoon press conference, police identified the two victims as: Erubey Romero Medina, 17, and Daniel Jimenez Millian, 16. Five people were injured by gunfire: A 14-year-old female, a 15-year-old female, a 17-year-old female, a 19-year-old female and an 18-year-old male. Police say their injures range from minor to critical.
During that briefing, Winston-Salem Police Chief William Penn said “What I would like to say to those families and parents who are concerned is continue to have the conversation with our kids. We got to tell them to stay away from fights. Stay away from the fights. It’s not the same as it used to be … These fights now lead to weapons and shootings.”
Winston-Salem police Assistant Chief Jason Swaim said two juveniles had agreed to meet at the park to fight. He said a firearm was discharged during the fight, which “resulted in multiple victims being shot.” He said authorities have identified “numerous people” involved in what happened, but that investigators were still trying to determine their exact involvement, including whether they were a suspect, victim or witness.
Swaim said schools nearby the park were safe and that parents of students at Jefferson Middle School could pick up their children there.
The shooting happened in a park in a suburban and residential area northwest of downtown Winston-Salem, a city of about 250,000 known for decades as the home of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
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Associated Press writers Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, contributed to this report.
NCN News Managing Editor Bruce Ferrell contributed to this report