Two 21-year-old men were shot Friday afternoon in the 1800 block of Willow Oak Way in Winston-Salem, in what police say was not a random act of violence. A nearby home was also struck by gunfire, and a nearby elementary school briefly went into secured status after staff heard the gunshots.
Officers were called to the scene around 2:27 p.m. Friday after reports of shots fired, according to abc45.com. Arriving officers found that a home in the area had been struck by gunfire, as myfox8.com reports. The two injured men, identified by WFMY News 2 as Armoni Miguel Anderson and Samorian Avonte Kirby, both 21, later arrived at a local hospital by private vehicle with gunshot wounds.
Victims in Stable Condition
Anderson and Kirby are listed in stable condition, and their injuries are not considered life-threatening, per the same abc45.com account. Both men told investigators they were shot in the 1800 block of Willow Oak Way, myfox8.com reported. Criminal Intelligence Bureau investigators responded to both the hospital and the shooting scene as part of the response, according to WFMY News 2.
Elementary School Briefly Secured
Kimberly Park Elementary School, located about 0.8 miles from the shooting location, was placed on secured status as a precaution after staff heard gunfire, per WFMY News 2's reporting. Police said there was never an active threat to the school, and it resumed normal operations once officers arrived at the scene, the station reported.
Investigation Remains Open
The Violent Firearm Investigations Team has taken over the case, according to abc45.com. Police described the shooting as not a random act of violence, as reported by wxii12.com, though they have not released information about a suspect or a possible motive. The investigation is ongoing, myfox8.com noted.
The case falls under the jurisdiction of the Winston-Salem Police Department's Violent Firearm Investigations Team, which is tasked with investigating shootings across the city. Statewide, firearm homicides peaked in 2021 before declining 29 percent through June 2025, according to a report from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. No further details about Friday's shooting have been released as the investigation continues.
