Gun shots erupted late in the third quarter of Friday night’s Laney-Westside high school football game, causing a mass exodus of fans running for the exits, and players, coaches and on-field personnel falling to the turf to take cover.
According to a statement from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, officers were dispatched to a call of multiple shots fired in the area of Augusta Court and Blounts Ave near the high school at 9:16 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16.
“No gun shot victims have been located, but a search of the area yielded cartridge casings and property damage. At this time, it appears all the gun shots fired occurred outside the stadium. Investigators are on scene and no further information will be released at this time,” said Lt Caleb Lee in an email statement.
Several Laney coaches who were on the stadium press box’s roof recording the game said they spotted a car driving up and down the street right outside Laney High School’s football stadium “shooting a gun in the air.”
After the second set of gun shots, fans ran back into the stadium from the exits back into the stands. Less than two minutes later, a swarm of Richmond County Police cars converged on the stadium’s parking lots.
Once police presence arrived and the stadium was locked down, both football teams jogged briskly toward the locker rooms. Shortly after, it was announced that the remainder of the game would be cancelled.
Westside was leading 7-6 with 52.8 seconds remaining in the third quarter at the time of the fracas.
In a Facebook post Friday night, Kathy Jones, the athletic director for W.S. Hornsby Middle School, said that due to the shooting, the middle school would not be participating in the RCBOE Jamboree.
A witness video showed the moments the crowd started fleeing the stadium, capturing this dramatic image of a woman covering a child in the stands.
We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.
