One would think a college baseball game would be one of the less violent sports.
But that wasn’t the case in Texarkana, Texas, recently during a game between the Texas A&M Texarkana Eagles and the Houston-Victoria Jaguars. As the two teams battled it out Saturday on the diamond, a scary situation occurred.
Stray Bullet Strikes Baseball Player Standing Near Bullpen
According to the school and local police, a bullet struck an 18-year-old player for the Eagles. The player, whose name hasn’t been revealed, was reportedly standing near the bullpen when the stray shot hit him. Police said the bullet seemed to have come from somewhere nearby, and in their statement they mentioned that.
“Some type of altercation in a nearby neighborhood to the west of the park,” police said.
The player is reportedly in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
One Alleged Shooter Turns Himself In, Other One Still At-Large
It is believed that 20-year-old DeMarco Banks and 17-year-old Kamauri Banks were shooting at one another. Texarkana Police spokesperson Shawn Vaughn, says Banks turned himself in but is facing charges stemming from the incident, the heftiest being a felony deadly conduct charge. Butler has a warrant out for his arrest for aggravated assault.
If convicted Banks could face as many as 10 years behind bars. And the aggravated assault charge could net the 17-year-old Butler as many as 20 years in the slammer.
Vaughn says the incident started at a nearby home, and then turned into a shootout between the two alleged shooters.
“You got two people in a neighborhood that are acting stupid, shooting at each other, and the person that paid the price for it is a young man over here trying to play a ballgame for the university.”
School Providing Counseling To Players
In an effort to restore some sense of normalcy, the school is providing counselors to help players cope with the situation. One could be just seeing a teammate shot while playing a game they love. The other to give them that support to even feel comfortable on campus again.
That’s what’s most important for the student-athletes, not returning to the field, but to feel protected in and around the schools campus at all times.
