Parents in North Charleston, South Carolina are outraged after a gunfight during a children’s baseball game Monday night sent young players running for their lives. One parent says he heard between 50 and 75 shots. Police say no children were reported physically injured, but the emotional toll is already evident.
“Now, I understand we could walk down the street, something could happen. We could be at church, something can happen. One-hundred percent understand that,” Lori Ferguson told WCSC. “My kids asked me where the police were to protect them. They didn’t want to take a shower, in our own home, because now they’re traumatized by what happened tonight.”
She is also angered because although police came to the scene of the gunfight she says they didn’t even ensure the children were unharmed. Ferguson says, “nobody ever came and checked like, ‘Hey, are these kids okay?’”
Describing what happened, Ferguson says, “all of a sudden, boom, boom, and ‘Get down, everybody, get down!’ And you’re at a park. My kids are not with me directly and you just see everybody scattering,” she said. “And my son’s on the pitcher mound by himself and it was just the most traumatic thing as a mother, as a citizen of this city, that you just feel helpless. I felt completely helpless.”
Police spokesman Harve Jacobs issued a statement saying North Charleston Police are actively investigating and promised to “do everything in their power to locate and arrest the individuals involved in this heinous and reckless act.”
“Witnesses indicated that multiple vehicles pulled into the parking lot, where a physical altercation took place, followed by dozens of gunshots,” Jacobs said. “Several youth baseball games were underway when this incident occurred. This incident tonight had nothing to do with the Park, youth athletes, parents or coaches. Thankfully no injuries were reported.”
But rather than address the core problem, police say they “planned to meet Tuesday morning with city recreation staff to formulate a safety plan ‘to ensure that our city’s youth can feel safe when playing on our parks and playgrounds.’”
Responding to the shooting Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts said: “This shooting at a children’s baseball game in Charleston, South Carolina, isn’t an anomaly. This is America’s new normal, enabled by greedy gun lobbyists and lawmaker allies. And if they have their way, no one will be safe anywhere.”
Watch:
UPDATE – 11:18 AM ET
Hillary Clinton weighs in: