2 teens dead after planned fight between juveniles escalates into a shooting at a public park in North Carolina, police confirm
A planned fight between two “teenagers” turned into a shooting at a public park in Winston-Salem, N.C., leaving two teenagers dead and multiple others injured, most of them minors, police confirmed Monday. press conference.
The Winston-Salem Police Department said the incident at Leinbach Park began around 9:52 a.m. when officers responded to a fight in progress. “While officers were en route, additional information was received indicating shots had been fired and multiple individuals had been struck by gunfire,” Winston-Salem Police Capt. Kevin Burns said Monday, adding that when officers arrived they saw multiple people fleeing the area.
Police said the two men who died from gunshot wounds were 16 and 17 years old and were pronounced dead at the scene. One was found in the park’s parking lot and the other was found further inside the park. At this stage in the investigation, it is not known whether the fight was between the two young people who died or what the fight was about.
Five other people, including a 14-year-old female, a 15-year-old female, a 17-year-old female, an 18-year-old male and a 19-year-old female, also suffered minor to critical injuries from the shooting.
“Per North Carolina law, the names of the young victims will not be released,” Burns said. “At this time, the name of the adult victim is being withheld pending further investigation into their involvement.”
Detectives are working to determine each individual’s role in the incident, Burns said.
“Initial information indicates that some of those injured may have been involved in the shooting incident,” he said.
No one was in custody as of late Monday afternoon, police said.
Police said the incident happened in Leinbach Park and did not occur at a school. Nearby schools were safely suspended as a precaution, although police and school officials said there was no need to pick up the students.
Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call the non-emergency number at 336-773-7700.
