Sunday morning, tragedy struck a youth football game in Buffalo, N.Y., when a coach was shot on the sidelines. The victim, 31, coached for the Flower City Panthers in their game against the GR8 Elite Ducks. He was transported to the hospital where he is expected to survive his injuries.
After the incident, Buffalo police later apprehended the gunman, identified as Rashaan Mallory. He is being charged with attempted murder in relation to his attack on the coach and several other charges in relation to his other crimes.
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Mallory’s offenses began before even arriving to the football game. According to RochesterFirst.com, Mallory, “forced a woman into his car at gunpoint, telling her to drive to the football game.” Once they arrived, Mallory encountered a different woman in the parking lot of the game and robbed her. From there, Mallory confronted the coach, asking for his chains, and attempted to shoot him. Mallory’s gun misfired on his first attempt, but he made subsequent shots at the coach’s leg and foot.
After the shooting, Mallory and the woman he had forced into his car previously fled the scene. When police caught up with them, they were able to recover the gun at the scene.
The Flower City Panthers football team released a statement saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for the team moms, parents and coaches for keeping our children safe (…) It was a random guy with no team affiliations and we just happened to be there and along with others fell victim to a senseless act of violence.”
Complicating matters further, Buffalo police say, “Games are not supposed to take place on Sundays without approval from the Buffalo Parks Department and the police department. The game at which the Rochester coach was shot had not been authorized.”
