Shooting outside Washington nationals stadium leaves fans scrambling
A student fires a hand gun during a shooting course at Boondocks Firearms Academy in Jackson, Mississippi on September 26, 2020. From the countryside to the cities, Americans are engaged in a frenzy of gun-buying fueled by the pandemic, protests and polit
After the sound of gunfire filled the stadium, fans and players scrambled for cover at a professional baseball game in Washington on Saturday night. Several people had been shot outside, said the police.
It was not clear to fans initially if the shooting was inside the complex.
The District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department had earlier said on Twitter that two people were shot outside of the ballpark.
In a follow-up tweet, it said that "two additional victims associated with the incident walked into area hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds." Media reports later said the number of people shot was revised down to three.
The baseball game that had been in progress between the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres was suspended as a result of the shooting.
The shooting occurred in the sixth inning.
Meanwhile, in several shootings across the US, multiple people were killed and dozens injured. Gun violence was reported in Portland (Oregon), Houston (Philadelphia), Sacramento (California) and Washington, DC.
In Washington, DC, a six-year-old girl died in an attack late on Friday. In the incident, three men and two women were also injured, cops said.
Portland (Oregon) seems to have witnessed an unprecedented surge in gun violence and associated homicides in the past six months. On Saturday, the city saw around four shootings where two people were killed and seven injured, some critically.
Calling the rash of shootings, a 'pandemic', Mayor Ted Wheeler said he would push hard for more officers and resources for the Portland Police Bureau. The department lost 125 sworn officers last year and also faces news rounds of retiring officers in the coming months.