For the second time this season, nearby gunfire canceled a North College Hill (Ohio) High School football game, and school officials emphasized Saturday that — contrary to claims of visiting Woodward's principal — no one was shot during Friday's game.
As reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer, North College Hill City School District and police said in a joint news release that no student-athlete, spectator or any other individual inside or outside of the stadium was shot or grazed by bullets. Police confirmed the gunshots were fired from several hundred yards away and not in the direction of the stadium.
The gunshots were an isolated event that had nothing to do with North College Hill City Schools or Woodward Career Technical High School, the release said.
That said, North College Hill's Sept. 6 game against Cincinnati Country Day ended abruptly midway through the third quarter when shots were fired near an apartment complex across the street from the North College Hill football stadium.
Related: High School Football Opponent Refuses to Visit Site of Gunshot Incident
Woodward principal Sam Yates said in an email to families Friday night that "one of our student-athletes was injured in a shooting at our football game at North College Hill," adding that the student received medical assistance before being taken to the hospital.
North College Hill athletic director Rayshawn Walton told The Enquirer the student-athlete was not shot but instead injured himself while trying to jump a fence during the commotion of the incident. Walton said the student was then taken to the hospital by his parents.
The gunshots occurred at approximately 8:15 p.m., just a couple minutes before halftime during the game between North College Hill and Woodward. The game was immediately stopped as North College Hill administration and police officers began "emergency action plan" duties.
The release said that everyone that attended the game made it home.
Even before this most recent incident, North College Hill has had to make changes to its football schedule to accommodate safety concerns.
Related: Another Change to North College Hill Football Schedule Following Gunshot Incident
According to The Enquirer, the North College Hill City Schools Athletic Department said it has implemented policies to ensure the safety of everyone attending the district's athletic events. Those policies include but are not limited to:
- Metal detectors and wanding upon entry.
- Administrators at every entry way into the stadium.
- Students in grades K-8 must enter the game with their parent.
- No bags are allowed in (if a bag is needed, it is thoroughly checked).
- There is no reentry into games (once you leave, you cannot reenter the game).
- Police/admin escorts for the visiting team.
The athletic department had said that for the remainder of the fall sports season it will work with all future opponents to determine the best day, time and location to hold athletic events in a safe environment. "If necessary, North College Hill will travel to any and all future opponents in order to give our student-athletes an opportunity to play," the release said, as reported by The Enquirer.
