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Police say a North Forsyth High School student is dead after an altercation on campus

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough speaks at a press conference
Courtesy Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough spoke at a press conference about an altercation at North Forsyth High School that led to one student's death on Dec. 9, 2025.

Local law enforcement officials say a Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools student is dead after an altercation at North Forsyth High School on Tuesday morning.

At a press conference, Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said a school resource officer made a call for "all hands on deck" around 11 a.m. related to a fight between two students.

"During this occasion, this altercation, there was a loss of life," Kimbrough said.

He said the families of the students involved have been notified, and that there is no danger to the community. Kimbrough didn't provide further details because this is an ongoing investigation.

"What I can tell you is what this community needs now is prayer," he said.

Winston-Salem Police Chief William Penn, Jr. said this was a "dark day for our city."

"As a community, we're going to have to absolutely work together to stop senseless violence," he said.

WS/FCS Superintendent Don Phipps said North Forsyth High School will be closed tomorrow.

"Today is the worst nightmare of any educator. We hurt when our students hurt, and this is the ultimate hurt that we can possibly feel," Phipps said.

Crisis teams will be available for faculty and staff, and for students when they return to school.

Due to the incident, officials have cancelled the WS/FCS Board of Education meetings that were scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Amy Diaz began covering education in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and High Country for WFDD in partnership with Report For America in 2022. Before entering the world of public radio, she worked as a local government reporter in Flint, Mich. where she was named the 2021 Rookie Writer of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Diaz is originally from Florida, where she interned at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, but truly got her start in the field in elementary school writing scripts for the morning news. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.