INDIANAPOLIS — Minutes after the final whistle blew during a travel league youth football game at Cardinal Ritter High School Saturday night, two coaches from opposing sidelines were shot in the parking lot.
Those wounded were Travon Smith of the Indy Firehawks and James Johnson-Beverly of Next Elite 11U.
In the just-concluded game, Next Elite 11U had defeated the Firehawks.
”At the end of the game, some of their parents and coaches on the sidelines, about 20 of them, chased our other coach Travon to the parking lot,” said Indy Firehawks 10U coach Javell Davis. “Someone pulled a gun, shot and luckily one of our parents or coaches was there to render aid until the ambulance got there.”
“As far as the other person or why there was no security there, I don’t know.”
IMPD detectives are hoping to recover any security camera video or cell phone video of the shooting, as well as talk with other parents who should be able to identify the shooter.
”When I was there for the first half, it was really a good game,” said Tabatha Hardiman, whose son played in a travel league game in Fort Wayne earlier in the day. “It was good vibes. Good, competitive football. Good talk. There was really no issues during the first half of the game.
“They had police there, security there, metal detectors there. That is something that we are used to seeing is security there, but last night at that event, there was no security, there was no police presence, there was no metal detectors, there was nothing there.”
FOX59 and CBS4 attempted, without success, to seek comment from the owner of the Next Level Sports Youth League which oversaw Saturday night’s game.
”These kids utilize football as an outlet,” Hardiman said. “What the football does is it keeps our kids out of the streets. It keeps our kids off of the video games and more focused on doing something outside of something that’s wrong, can lead them down the wrong path. You have kids who go to sleep every night hearing gunshots. They can’t go to certain parks because of gun violence.”
The Firehawks’ parents, players and coaches were gathered in Clayton & LaSalle Park on Indy’s east side for a community event to provide clothing, home items and hot dogs for less fortunate residents of the neighborhood where the team practices.
“You become a mentor,” said Davis. “We have groups, we have outings on the weekend, whether it’s paintballing or cheesecake factory, we give back downtown, we give out some food, we get together, we teach them responsibility, we teach them God, a lot of integrity, even when nobody’s not looking, do the right thing.”
While the Firehawks 11U season is now over, the impact of the gun violence witnessed after their final game will likely stay with the players and the families for some time to come.
”As you know, this is nothing normal to anybody,” said Davis. “So, first thing first is us getting them some counseling and some therapy, and we were telling our parents to give them a little extra love at night.”
