Pleasantville Community Comes Together After Shooting At High School Football Game Leaves Boy Critically Wounded
PLEASANTVILLE, N.J. (CBS) -- A community is coming together after a terrifying experience last Friday during a high school football game. Gunfire erupted during the playoff game against Pleasantville and Camden High Schools, with three people being shot, including a 10-year-old boy.
While everyone is mindful that the little boy is fighting for his life, there is an air of excitement that Wednesday the football team will get to go to Lincoln Financial Field and finish a game that was important to the community before taking a tragic turn.
"Well, I mean the atmosphere here was electric," Pleasantville Interim Superintendent Dennis Anderson said.
It was a night all of Pleasantville was looking forward to, a home playoff football game against Camden High School.
But in the third quarter Friday night, excitement turned to terror.
According to police, alleged gunman 31-year-old Alvin Wyatt, of Atlantic City, had a petty grudge with 27-year-old Ibn Abdullah. Court records say earlier in the game, some of Wyatt's associates noticed Abdullah in the stands and FaceTimed Wyatt, who allegedly came to the stands and opened fire.
"Some individuals that had problems with each other from a previous incident decided to take it to the next level and endanger a great deal amount of people," Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said.
Abdullah was shot as well as two innocent bystanders. An unidentified 15-year-old was grazed and 10-year-old Micah was shot in the neck. Micah remains at Cooper Hospital in critical condition, where Anderson visited on Tuesday.
"They're really upbeat in dealing with this, better than I could," Anderson said.
On Monday, a team of specialists -- including some with therapy dogs -- provided counseling to traumatized students in Pleasantville. Then came the big news.
The Philadelphia Eagles have invited Pleasantville and Camden to finish its playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday.
"They're all excited. They got their tickets for their parents and it was like a celebration for them, which is good. They need to have that feeling back again," Anderson said.
The game at the Linc tomorrow is not open to the public.
Five out of the six suspects who were arrested after the shooting will be in court on Thursday.
