Several gunshots rang out at a youth baseball game in North Charleston, South Carolina, and it sent dozens of children and spectators scrambling for cover, according to reports. No injuries were reported, and police are conducting an investigation. The mayor of North Charleston offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of those involved for the random gunfire.
BREAKING: Dozens of gunshots send children scrambling for cover during little league baseball game in N. Charleston
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“It destroyed the hearts of a lot of people: mothers, fathers, children out here participating in sports within our city,” said Mayor R. Keith Summey during a press conference on Tuesday. “We will not tolerate this behavior, and we will not allow this behavior to carry forward.”
USA Today Sports obtained a police report that stated officers heard dozens of gunshots at about 8:43 pm on Monday in the parking lot of the Pepperhill Park complex that houses three youth baseball fields. Witnesses said “a large group of teenagers pulled into the parking lot in separate vehicles and began to fist fight with each other.”
Gun violence has been notable in North Charleston of late. In 2022, there have been 11 homicides in the city of North Charleston, an increase of 100% over the same period in 2021.
“NCPD officers are actively investigating this incident to the fullest extent of the law and will do everything in their power to locate and arrest the individuals involved in this heinous and reckless act,” North Charleston Police said in a statement. “We will leave no stone unturned in bringing these suspects to justice.”
According to Gun Violence Archive, so far in 2022 13,710 people have been killed as a result of gun violence. 1,234 children have been injured as a result of gun violence and 504 have been killed.
Earlier this month University of Southern California women’s basketball recruit Aaliyah Gayles was shot multiple times at a house party in Las Vegas.
Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal covered the funeral costs of a 3-year-old boy killed by random gun violence in Louisiana, this month.
Gun violence has long been a problem in the United States and continues to be one as long as it’s politicized for gain by unscrupulous individuals.
It seems that there is some kind of mass shooting on a monthly basis. Yet nothing is done to prevent another. There is initial social media outrage and then everyone moves on. That we’ve become so numb to senseless violence is a sad commentary on our collective state of affairs as a society.
According to a report, among 64 high-income countries and territories, the United States stands out for its high levels of gun violence. Look exclusively at high-income countries and territories with populations of 10 million or more, the US ranks first by a wide margin. The U.S. averages 4.17 gun-related homicides per 100,000. The next closest country is Chile at 1.82 deaths per 100,000.
Games that were scheduled at Pepperhill Park have been canceled and one of the coaches of the team’s in the league petitioned for North Charleston to not be allowed to host recreational games at the park due to gun violence in the area.
