Five men were charged on Saturday in connection with a shooting at a high school football game in New Jersey on Friday night that injured three people, including a 10-year-old child, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at 8.29pm in the third quarter of a playoff game at Pleasantville High School, which is just outside Atlantic City and was hosting Camden High School.
The sequence of events was captured on video by local news media covering the game.
“Unlike some of the shootings that have occurred on school premises throughout the country, this incident had nothing to do with the students of Pleasantville High School or Camden High School,” Damon Tyner, the Atlantic County prosecutor, said in a statement.
“The venue simply presented an opportunity for criminals to pursue their own form of petty vengeance against one another.”
Authorities released no specific motive for the attack.
One victim, a 27-year-old man, was in stable condition and will undergo surgery, officials said.
The police searching the bleachers after gunshots were fired at a high school football game outside of Atlantic City. Source: Edward Lea/The Press of Atlantic City
The 10-year-old, who was also shot, was in critical condition. A third victim, a 15-year-old, was treated for a graze wound and released from a hospital.
One of the suspects, Alvin Wyatt, was charged with three counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the Atlantic County prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The other men, Shahid Dixon, Tyrell Dorn, Vance Golden and Michael Mack, were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
“We are able to confirm that no Camden High students were injured or otherwise harmed during the incident,” Camden Schools said in a tweet Friday night.
“A very special thank-you to our coaches, faculty, and staff who were on-site and acted quickly to ensure the safety of all our students,” the school system said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pleasantville community in the wake of this unfortunate event.”
The Pleasantville Schools superintendent did not immediately return a request for comment Saturday.
Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ and a candidate for president, called the shooting “horrific” on Twitter on Saturday.
“Praying for everyone at this high school football game in NJ last night & the 2 people who were seriously injured by gunfire,” he said, adding the shooting was “not normal.”
“When people are shot in church, schools, movie theatres and football games we need to take action to change our gun laws,” he added.
By Neil Vigdor © 2019 The New York Times
