Winston-Salem police say adults who watched the confrontation may also be held accountable.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A day after a planned fight at Leinbach Park ended with two teens dead and five others wounded, Winston-Salem officials said they expect to bring charges against adults who stood by and watched the violence unfold.
That update shifted the focus of the case from the gunfire itself to the broader chain of events that police and prosecutors say helped make the shooting possible. Investigators have said the confrontation was arranged in advance, involved juveniles and drew enough people to turn a park into an active crime scene in the middle of a school-day morning. The case now raises not only questions about who fired weapons, but also about who knew the fight was coming and who allowed it to happen.
Police said the violence began shortly before 10 a.m. Monday, April 20, when officers were dispatched to Leinbach Park for a reported fight. While they were en route, additional calls reported shots fired. Investigators later said the gathering stemmed from a pre-planned fight among juveniles and escalated when multiple people began exchanging gunfire. At the scene, officers found 17-year-old Erubey Romero Medina in the parking lot with a fatal gunshot wound. They also found 16-year-old Daniel Jimenez Millian farther inside the park. He, too, died at the scene. Five other teens, ranging from 14 to 19, were hurt, with injuries that police said ranged from minor to critical.
Through the first day of the investigation, police withheld several names, saying some victims were minors and others could not yet be publicly identified because detectives were still determining their role. That distinction has been central to the inquiry. Authorities have said some of the injured may also have taken part in the shooting, a detail that complicates the usual line between victim and suspect. Investigators also have not publicly answered several key questions, including how many shooters were involved, how the meeting was arranged and whether anyone used social media or group messages to organize it. Still, by Tuesday morning, police said they were not looking for additional suspects tied to the shooting itself.
What changed Tuesday was the warning from officials that adults present at the park could face criminal consequences. Chief William Penn Jr. said there would be charges for adults who stood by during the fight, including young adults. District Attorney Jim O’Neill, appearing with law enforcement leaders, said people who commit violent crimes in the community will be tracked down, arrested and brought to court. Their message suggested prosecutors are exploring not just direct gun charges but also whether older bystanders encouraged, enabled or failed to stop a confrontation involving teenagers. That public stance underscored how officials see the shooting: not as a sudden random act, but as the deadly collapse of supervision, judgment and intervention.
The location intensified the alarm. Leinbach Park is near schools, and nearby campuses were placed on secure status while officers handled the emergency. Families spent much of the morning trying to piece together what had happened and whether their children were safe. Community concern also grew because police said the fight was planned, fueling the belief that someone outside the immediate participants may have had advance warning. O’Neill said he could not help but think somebody knew the fight would take place and could have made an anonymous call that might have prevented the tragedy. His comments reflected the frustration officials voiced as they tried to explain how so many young people ended up at the park before 10 a.m. on a weekday.
The investigation remains open, and more formal charging decisions are expected as detectives complete interviews, review evidence and match witness accounts to the physical scene. The next milestones are likely to include public clarification on who fired weapons, whether any of the wounded will be charged and what counts prosecutors believe apply to adults who were present. For now, officials have made clear that the case will not end with the identification of the dead. It is also becoming an inquiry into responsibility before the first shot was fired.
Author note: Last updated April 21, 2026.