A planned gathering of minors in a park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, turned into a bloody shooting. Two teenagers were killed and five others were injured in an incident that shocked the local community.
The bloody incident occurred on Monday, April 20, 2026, in Leinbach Park, near Jefferson Middle School.
At 9:50 a.m. local North Carolina time — 4:50 p.m. Greek time — police received the first call about a fight in the park. As police forces headed to the area, new reports of gunshots followed.
According to the investigation, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old had agreed to meet in the park to fight. Word spread and about 15 minors and young adults gathered at the scene, either to participate or to watch and record the fight on their cell phones.
The situation quickly spiraled out of control. The initial argument was followed by further verbal and physical confrontations, with at least two people pulling out guns and opening fire. The dead were Daniel Jimenez Millian, 16, and Erubey Romero Medina, 17. Both were found with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene.
Five other people were injured: four young women aged 14, 15, 17 and 19, and an 18-year-old man. The condition of the injured was described as ranging from minor to critical. In total, seven people were hit by bullets.
The latest information from the Police indicates that Daniel Jimenez Millian and 18-year-old Joel Michael Gamble-Toliver fired shots during the incident. According to investigators, Jimenez Millian fired at several people, while Gamble-Toliver allegedly returned fire. The incident did not occur on school grounds. However, due to the short distance from Jefferson Middle School and Mount Tabor High School, both schools were temporarily placed on heightened security. The exterior doors were locked, while activities inside continued as normal. Authorities assured that students and staff were safe.
In the weeks that followed, several arrests were made and charges were brought against individuals who, according to the Police, participated in, incited, or contributed to the rally and its violent development.
Among those charged is Joel Michael Gamble-Toliver, who faces charges related to rioting resulting in death. Charges were also filed against a 17-year-old, a 21-year-old woman, and two girls, ages 14 and 17.
The authorities also sent a strict message to adults who knew the fight would happen, but chose to attend as spectators or record it instead of informing the Police in a timely manner.
The incident brings to the fore a particularly worrying phenomenon: fights between minors that are organized in advance and attract spectators through text messages and social media. The presence of an “audience,” often holding cell phones instead of calling for help, can encourage tension and turn a confrontation into a tragedy.
Two children lost their lives, five more people were injured, and many families will forever carry the consequences of an encounter that should never have taken place.
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