Two people were shot when gunfire erupted at a Friday night high school football game in Wellington, prompting a panicked evacuation of the stadium, witnesses and authorities said.
Both victims are adult males and not students in the Palm Beach County school system, said Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
“This was not a result of a current altercation or a random act of violence,” she said.
Earlier it was reported that about five shots were fired after trouble flared among a group of students, according to witnesses.
One victim was on school grounds; the other was taken to a hospital by a friend, Barbera said.
The game was between the Panthers from William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens and the Palm Beach Central High School Broncos.
A man in the parking lot was struck, possibly in the leg, a witness said. He ran around a Dwyer school bus and collapsed against a fence. Two cops immediately went to his side, according to the witness, and a helicopter flew him to a hospital.
The call reporting multiple shots fired came in at 9:13 p.m., Barbera said.
There’s is no information so far on the identity of the gunman or the condition of the victims. “The investigation is very active and ongoing,” said Barbera.
Dwyer players ran to the fence near where the injured man was, coaches tried to console him. One player jumped the fence and broke into tears, a witness said.
The stadium was packed with families and fans when shots rang out. “Nobody blinked,” a witness said. “Everybody just got up and started hauling a-- down the stadium steps.”
This is a developing story.
Prayers to everyone at the Dwyer/Central football game. Thanking God my sister decided to leave at halftime, shortly before shots were fired. People in this world are sick.
— Sydney Jones (@S_Jones00) 18 August 2018
Im at the Dwyer-Palm Beach Central football game at Palm Beach Central. Everyone just took off from the field and the stands. Something is happening. Cops are responding. People are reporting three shots heard.
— Ryan DiPentima (@Ryan_DiPentima) 18 August 2018
