Two people were killed and several others wounded in a shooting at a Winston-Salem, North Carolina park on Monday morning after a planned fight among juveniles escalated into violence, authorities said.

The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. at Leinbach Park, located near Jefferson Middle School in Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem police Assistant Chief Jason Swaim said two juveniles had agreed to meet at the park to fight when a firearm was discharged during the altercation, resulting in multiple people being shot.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that several people were shot, including two fatally. Police said they have identified numerous people involved in the incident but are still working to determine each person's exact role, including whether they were a suspect, victim, or witness.

Authorities assured that schools near the park were safe, and parents of students at Jefferson Middle School were able to pick up their children at the school. The shooting took place in a suburban residential area northwest of downtown Winston-Salem.

Winston-Salem is a city of approximately 250,000 residents in central North Carolina, historically known as the headquarters of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.