Daniel Jimenez Milian, a 16-year-old male from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was killed on April 20, 2026, after a confrontation at Leinbach Park turned into a deadly burst of gunfire. What began as a planned fight between two teenage girls drew a crowd of juveniles and young adults to the park, with some there to take part and others reportedly there to watch or record.
The gathering unfolded near Sally Kirk Road and Robinhood Road on a Monday morning, and by the time police were called around 9:52 a.m., reports of a fight in progress quickly shifted into reports that shots had been fired.
Investigators said the fight had been arranged between a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl. As word spread, roughly 15 people gathered at the park. After the initial fight, tensions spread through the group. Police said Daniel and 17-year-old Erubey Romero Medina became involved in a verbal altercation while 18-year-old Joel Michael Gamble-Toliver and 17-year-old Steven Villanueva became involved in a physical fight nearby. The scene then escalated rapidly when firearms were produced.
According to police accounts reported by local news outlets, Daniel and Gamble-Toliver both discharged firearms during the confrontation. Investigators said Daniel fired toward Medina, Gamble-Toliver, and others nearby, striking multiple people. Gamble-Toliver then fired in Daniel’s direction. When officers and emergency crews arrived, they found two teenagers fatally wounded. Medina was found in the parking lot area, and Daniel was found farther inside the park. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Five other people were wounded in the shooting. The injured included Gamble-Toliver, a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl, a 17-year-old girl, and a 19-year-old female. Their injuries were described as ranging from minor to serious or critical in early reports, though later updates indicated the injured girls were stable. Because several of the victims were minors, police did not release all of their names.
Daniel was later identified as a student in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system. His family remembered him as loving and caring, someone who put family first, and they sought help with funeral expenses after his death. His killing left his family grieving not only the sudden loss of a teenager, but the way a planned fight among young people grew into a violent confrontation that ended with two boys dead and several others injured.
Several arrests and charges followed as police continued reviewing evidence, witness statements, and video connected to the incident. Joel Michael Gamble-Toliver was one of the first people charged. Authorities said he had been at the park expecting a fight, became involved in a physical altercation, and fired a gun during the incident. He was charged with felony child abuse and felony riot, and later faced additional felony counts tied to engaging in a riot that resulted in death. He was also served warrants in an unrelated case, including allegations connected to possession of a stolen firearm and resisting an officer.
Steven Villanueva was also charged as an adult with felony inciting a riot after police said he was involved in the physical fight with Gamble-Toliver before the shooting broke out. Yamilet Jimenez-Milian was arrested and charged with felony inciting a riot, with reports stating she was placed on a 24-hour hold and given a $50,000 secured bond after appearing before a magistrate.
Additional arrests followed. Greidy Mendoza-Soriano and Karissa Gamez, both 16, were charged as adults in connection with the incident, with reports saying they faced felony counts related to inciting a riot and riot connected to a death. They were held without bond and transported to the Alexander Juvenile Detention Center. Prosecutors later described alleged roles during a court appearance, including an allegation that Gamez recorded video at the park.
By early May 2026, reports said the number of people charged in connection with the deadly Leinbach Park shooting had grown to seven, including two 15-year-old females charged with contributing to a riot that resulted in death. Police described the case as active and ongoing, and officials said additional charges were possible as the investigation continued. No trial or conviction had been reported in the available online sources at that time.
