On Monday evening in North Charleston, South Carolina, a youth baseball game was taking place. Suddenly, players hit the dirt when they heard nearby gunshots.
The moment terrified the young players and their families. Now officials are offering a $10,000 reward for those responsible.
In video shot by a player's parent, you can see the chaos unfold at the game. At first, the children look around, confused, before everyone gets on the ground. Some of the children begin army-crawling to get to their parents. Officials say over 50 shots were fired.
In the jarring video, you can also hear some of the terrified parents calling for their children. Luckily, no one was hurt in the shooting.
Mayor Keith Summey said his office is offering a reward for information that may lead to an arrest. "I am offering a $10,000 reward not for the conviction, but for the arrest of the individuals that were here in this parking lot, fighting and shooting each other while children were out here playing ball," Summey said. "We will not tolerate it."
Police believe that there was a fight going on and that the shooters came to what they thought was a secluded parking lot to finish the dispute.
The first officer arrived on the scene less than a minute after the gunfire. He had heard the shots himself. When he arrived, the suspects had already fled.
Lori Ferguson, a mother of one of the young players, spoke to news station WCSC about the incident, saying it was a traumatizing event for her entire family. "And then all of a sudden, boom, boom, and 'Get down, everybody, get down!' And you're at a park. My kids are not with me directly and you just see everybody scattering," she said.
"And my son's on the pitcher mound by himself, and it was just the most traumatic thing as a mother, as a citizen of this city, that you just feel helpless. I felt completely helpless."
Police found multiple discarded firearms near the scene. They are investigating another shooting that took place about a half-mile away, as well. It is unclear whether the shootings are related.
