Panic ensues: Washington Nationals game suspended as shootings erupt outside stadium
The July 17 matchup between the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres is going to be remembered more for the violence going down in the parking lot outside of Nationals Park than for anything happening on the ballfield that evening. Officials suspended the game during the sixth inning after gunfire was heard outside the stadium, which caused a more than mild panic inside the stadium.
The shooting, an exchange of gunfire between people in two cars, left three people injured, according to Ashan Benedict, the Metropolitan Police Department’s executive assistant police chief. One of the people who was shot was a woman who was attending the game and who was struck while she was outside the stadium, he said. Her injuries weren’t considered life-threatening. ~ Associated Press
It wasn’t too long after the bullets rang out that a tweet went out encouraging fans to exit the stadium.
In addition to the female fan shot outside the stadium, two others were injured in the shootings, which sent the fans scrambling and ducking for cover, according to CNN. Those two other shooting victims are connected to a vehicle the Metropolitan Police were looking for that was involved in the shootout. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s First District were seeking the public’s help in identifying a vehicle in reference to what went down in the Nationals Park parking lot.
At approximately 9:30 pm, members of the First District heard the sounds of gunshots. While investigating, members located an adult female, conscious and breathing, suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
A short time later, MPD was notified of two additional adult male victims who were seeking treatment at an area hospital for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The suspect vehicle in this case was described as a gray Toyota Corolla with a missing hubcap on the rear driver’s side wheel and dark tinted windows.
The vehicle was believed to be displaying a Virginia temporary tag. The vehicle was captured by a nearby surveillance camera and can be seen in the photos below:
Police are now saying that they’re still not certain exactly what the involvement of the other two shooting victims is, and also said that the two “were known to law enforcement.”
For more on the recent Nationals Park shootings, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: Metropolitan Police Department)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
