Officials: 31-Year-Old Man Charged In Shooting At High School Football Game, 5 Others Arrested In Connection To Incident
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- The Atlantic City Prosecutor's Office says six men were charged in connection to a shooting at a high school football game in Pleasantville. Officials charged 31-year-old Alvin Wyatt with attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the shooting which injured an adult and two juveniles.
Five other men were at the game and arrested in connection to the shooting.
Police charged 27-year-old Michael Mack, 28-year-old Tyrell Dorn, 27-year-old Shahid Dixon, all of Atlantic City, and 26-year-old Vance Golden, of Pleasantville with unlawful possession of a weapon and certain persons not to posses a weapon. Dixon is also charged with eluding.
Police say 27-year-old Ibn Abdullah who was shot during the gunfire was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
"I want to thank the Pleasantville Police Department and the scores of off duty emergency personnel that assisted the victims and helped law enforcement promptly identify and locate those responsible for causing mayhem at the Pleasantville High School football game," the Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner said. "Unlike some shootings that have occurred on school premises throughout the country, this incident had nothing to do with the students of Pleasantville High School or Camden High School. The venue simply presented an opportunity for criminals to pursue their own form of petty vengeance against one another. As a result, an innocent child was caught and injured in their crossfire. Our community will not be held hostage by a few idiots intent on jeopardizing safety and the safety of our children."
The gunfire erupted in the stands during a playoff game between Pleasantville and Central Camden on Friday night.
"High school playoff football should be a cause for community celebration, not the backdrop for panic and terror. I am grateful for the lifesaving swift actions of first reponders to lend to the wounded, and our prayers are with the victims for a swift and full recovery," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.
A 10-year-old victim was airlifted to a local hospital and remains in critical condition.
A third victim, a 15-year-old boy suffered a graze wound. He was treated and released.
"This does not define who we are. It's how we respond to it and I can honestly say that the response was overwhelming," Pleasantville Mayor Jesse Tweedle said.
Several Pleasantville football players say they initially thought the gunshots were fireworks. When they realized it was gunfire, they ran through a fence to get to safety.
"We just saw everybody from the crowd running," senior Pleasantville football player Keon Henry said. "Coach was telling us get down but we didn't want to get down. We wanted to get somewhere safe inside the school, so we all ran up here, ran through the fence and then went through here."
Police say several minor injuries were reported from people running away from the scene.
Authorities are still investigating what led to the shooting, but say Abdullah was targeted. They also are looking at security measures for future games.
The game was in the middle of the third quarter when shots rang out. School officials say the game will resume Tuesday on a neutral field.
The Pleasantville School District said it will have counselors available to students and staff members on Monday.
CBS3's Howard Monroe contributed to this report.
