When gunshots rang out near a little league game in North Charleston, SC recently, every kid in sight knew immediately what to do. The game didn’t matter anymore. Dismount and wait until the adults around you decide it’s safe to get up if you don’t spread out on the floor. And try to stay alive.
The shooting happened Monday night, according to WCSC, with eyewitnesses reporting that several cars pulled into a nearby parking lot and their occupants began fighting before gunfire erupted. The video was reportedly taken by the pitcher’s father, Blake Ferguson. Thankfully, no injuries were reported in the incident and a police investigation is ongoing.
In the video, you can hear around 50 gunshots as you see children running off the screen and crouching on the ground. Parents can be heard frantically ordering children around them, “Get off the field!” and “Crawl this way!” to avoid any gunfire. After the shooting ended, several of the parents’ vehicles were hit by bullets.
“Several youth baseball games were in progress when this incident occurred. This incident tonight had nothing to do with the park, youth athletes, parents or coaches. Thankfully, no injuries were reported,” said Harve Jacobs, North Charleston Police spokesman said WMBF.
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This December marks the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, ushering in an era in which America’s youth has grown accustomed to the willingness to engage in mass shootings. This is in contrast to these incidents, where innocent lives can be lost, less frequently.
This emotional trauma is the price children have to pay due to America’s lax gun laws, where the South Carolina shooting will not be an isolated incident. The North Charleston Police Department planned to meet with city officials to develop a safety plan “to ensure that our city’s youth can feel safe playing in our parks and playgrounds,” Jacobs said, according to the WMBF.
