2 killed in North Carolina when 'planned' fight escalates into shooting near middle school

A planned fight involving several young people that escalated into a shooting near a North Carolina middle school left two dead Monday and several others wounded, authorities said. 

Shots rang out just after 9:50 a.m. amid a planned fight between two juveniles in Leinbach Park, near Jefferson Middle School in Winston-Salem. 

An aerial map of a North Carolina shooting near a school that left two people dead on Monday in Winston-Salem. (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation)

"When the individuals met at the park, the situation escalated significantly, leading to multiple people exchanging gunfire," the Winston-Salem Police Department wrote on X. 

Two people died and an unspecified number of people were shot, police said. Several people, both victims and suspects were located, authorities said. 

Winston-Salem Police Department Assistant Chief Jason Swaim briefs the media on a shooting near a school that left two people dead Monday morning. (Winston-Salem Police Department)

"Due to the number of people involved, efforts are ongoing to account for everyone. At this time, some of those involved in the incident are juveniles," police said. 

The North Carolina Bureau of Investigation stressed that the shooting did not happen at the school, but in the nearby park.

The school was open and operating on a normal schedule, police said.