A referee in North Carolina has been arrested after police say he discharged a concealed weapon inside an athletic facility.
According to WSOC-TV, deputies were already on scene to act as security at the Indian Trail athletic facility when 49-year-old referee Ernest David, who was working a youth sporting event, discharged a concealed weapon that he had in his gym bag.
Officials said the crowd was filled with parents and children. Fortunately, no one was struck and no one was hurt.
“I was about 50 feet away from the shot my son here was playing in a basketball game at the time he was even closer to where it happened,” one parent told Channel 9’s Glenn Counts. “He was within 20 feet of the situation, so my first thought when I heard the sound, I thought it was a metal chair falling on the ground but a little louder but at that time it got everyone’s attention, everything stopped we went over toward the kids made sure they were safe.”
Davis has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon and discharging a firearm into occupied property.
Union County sheriff Eddie Cathey issued a statement reminding gun owners to practice safe firearm ownership.
“Safe gun ownership can help avoid situations like this and prevent unnecessary injuries or a tragic loss of life,” he said.
