INDIANAPOLIS — Parents are sharing their concerns after two men were shot as a youth football game was ending Saturday evening at Cardinal Ritter High School on Indianapolis' near northwest side.
IMPD officers close to the school, near West 30th Street and West Kessler Boulevard North Drive, provided aid to the two men before medics arrived, around 10:30 p.m. Oct. 5. The men were taken to Eskenazi Hospital, one in critical condition and the other described as "stable."
IMPD Capt. Rob Rider said the game had just concluded when an argument broke out between the two sidelines, which included parents and coaches. The argument reportedly escalated and someone pulled out a gun and shot two people.
One team lost. One team won. Kids were excited to be playing a sport they love and it all ended in gunfire.
Ashley Jones let her son go to watch the game. He was very close to where the initial shots were fired in the parking lot.
"He just went because the winner of the game was who his team is going to play next week," Jones said.
Jones got the call from her son telling her what was going on.
"I wasn't there. I was 25 minutes away," Jones said. She immediately went to the school.
Luckily, other parents knew her son and helped him until she could pick him up.
"I was crying. It was relief. It was we need to get home now. Just unbelief that all of this had happened, you know? I told him on the way home, I said, 'If I can't go, you're not going,'" Jones said.
IMPD said no one had been taken into custody in connection with the shooting. Jones said that worries her.
"Accountability definitely needs to be held in so many different ways," she said. "Accountability needs to be needs to be had because, like I mentioned, there's so many things that need to be changed for the makeup of the teams in the league in general and being proactive," Jones said.
D1 Nation, the organization which runs the youth league, issued this statement to 13News:
"My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected by the tragic events that occurred during our event on Saturday. As a leader in this community and someone who has been involved in youth football for over 15 years, I have never witnessed anything like this.
I have dedicated my efforts to investing in our youth, with the hope of keeping them off the streets and away from the dangers of gun violence. This incident deeply saddens me, as it goes against everything we strive for in our league—providing a safe, positive environment for our young students athletes to grow and succeed.
Our league will continue to stand by the affected families and the community during this difficult time.
We will work even harder to ensure that our events foster unity and safety for all involved. Once again, my deepest thoughts and prayers go out to all the families impacted."
Cardinal Ritter High School has told the league they are not allowed to have access to the fields. The school administration issued a statement, saying in part:
"Please rest assured that swift and decisive action was taken immediately to address the situation."
A kid that loves football, Jones' son is left to wonder if he'll get to play next weekend.
"If there's a game that's up in the air, too, which is devastating, you know?" Jones said. "I mean, his team is technically undefeated right now. He literally lives for football."