High School Football Game: Gunfire Halts Event, Police Arrest Three Teen Suspects


A high school football game was interrupted by gunfire, and a series of shots sparked panic Friday during a playoff contest between Miami Central and Carol City High.

The incident happened in the Nathaniel “Traz” Powell Stadium in Miami, which is located on the campus of Miami-Dade College North Campus. In a video circulating on the internet, it can be seen how the players, spectators and officials flee the stadium.

As reported by Miami Herald, the dramatic footage shows players ducking and running as spectators flee, while coaches and game officials also run off the field. The gunfire halted the game with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter. Central led the game 36-8, a Max Preps report said.

The police came to the scene after receiving several calls regarding the shooting outside in the parking lot of the Traz Powell Stadium. Three teenage suspects are currently in custody. Mark Trimble, 19, Kaion Lynch, 18, and Larico Walker, 18, face several charges including carrying a firearm onto school property. Police recovered three weapons and believe the teens may have fired their guns into the air, CBS Miami wrote.

A witness told the local news station that up to 20 police cars were gathered at the scene. According to several media reports, no one was injured in the shooting, but the investigation continues.

Many students expressed anger over the incident, and are particularly upset at the fact that the sporting event was marred by gunfire. One witness, Latrell Dennis, who was in the stands at the time of the shooting, spoke to the Miami Herald and he gave the following statement.

“It’s Friday night under the lights of Traz Powell and we’re trying to enjoy ourselves and watch these kids and watch them play to better themselves. You’re able to get a gun quicker than anything and that just doesn’t make sense to me. It’s going to take a whole community to get us back where we used to be.”

Many witnesses said they feared the worst when they heard the shots, especially since the incident occurred just days after the terrorist attacks in Paris. Over 128 people were killed in those attacks carried out by terrorists with AK-47s and bombs strapped to them. They attacked sites throughout the French capital, and at a stadium where a soccer match was underway.

Fortunately, in this case there were no injuries, but the incident did give spectators quite a scare.

“You hate to see anything like that happen, but luckily it seems like no one was hurt,” Central coach Roland Smith said after the game,

The president of the Miami Dade School Board, Alberto Carvalho, issued a message on his Twitter account referring to the incident as sad and unacceptable. Carol City coach Aubrey Hill said his focus shifted to following protocol, and ensuring the safety of his players and staff.

“We have procedures in place if there’s anything like a fight, a riot or shots fired,” he said. “It did take a little minute to get everything under control. Even though it was an unfortunate event we want to make sure everyone knows that we are all about our kids and we will not be deterred by acts of violence.”

[Image via Shutterstock]

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