Forsyth Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough says he's concerned about gang violence in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Kimbrough expressed frustration after Parkland High School students were apparently targeted by gunfire Friday, saying he needed more resources, including help to combat gangs in the schools.
Kimbrough says gangs exist in the Winston-Salem community, so it's only logical that some younger members bring that experience with them when they come to school.
Acknowledging that fact is a first step to addressing the problem, he says.
“If we know that, then we have to have the resources to address that. Period,” he says. “There are no ifs and ands about that.”
Authorities haven't said so far if gangs are connected to the non-lethal Parkland shooting or the fatal incident at Mount Tabor earlier this month. On Friday, a gunman just off of Parkland's campus fired shots at students as they were leaving school. No one was injured.
Kimbrough says it's too early to tell if the incident is related to gangs. No one had been arrested as of press time.
The issue of gangs involving young people was also brought up by District Attorney Jim O'Neill during a press conference after 15-year-old William Miller Jr. died after he was shot at Mount Tabor High School earlier this month.
An arrest has been made in the case, but authorities have not said if that case is connected to gang activity in any way.