9 counts of attempted murder for student who allegedly opened fire in football stadium
A 17-year-old high school student has been charged with nine counts of attempted murder after he allegedly opened fire into a crowded football stadium in Mobile, Alabama following a Friday night game.
Deangelo Parnell was arrested early Saturday and is being charged as an adult, according to Charlette Solis, a police spokesperson.
The shooting did not appear to have an intended target and followed a fight that started before the game, Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste said.
A fight was about to occur and the suspect indiscriminately pulled out a weapon, Battiste said.
In addition to the nine injured in the shooting, a person in the crowd suffered a seizure because of the event and a second person injured their hand trying to escape the chaos. Of the injured, six had been treated and released, while three were still in the hospital, police said Saturday.
“This was a cowardly act by an individual that didn’t know how to deal with a conflict or disagreement that he was having with someone else,” said Battiste. Choosing to recklessly discharge a gun in a crowded location is “unacceptable,” he said.
The victims range in age from 15 to 18 years old.
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Police were able to use surveillance video from the game, as well as multiple cell phone videos from the crowd, to identify Parnell. While he appears to be the only shooter, additional people are being questioned and more charges are not out of the question. Among those being questioned are several adults.
Police are investigating how Parnell got the gun into the stadium. The city-owned venue did not have metal detectors on Friday night, according to Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson.
In a news conference, Battiste cautioned people to be alert in public gatherings.
In a series of tweets Saturday morning, Stimpson thanked first responders for their quick actions.
"Today as we cover our City in prayer for the victims injured, I would like to thank our public safety teams for their rapid response to the senseless act of violence at Ladd Stadium," the mayor tweeted shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday. "Our children and their families deserve to enjoy a high school football game or any public event without the thought of gun violence. As a community, we will heal. As a community, we have to get the guns out of the hands of our youth."
Stimpson vowed on Saturday morning to increase security and add additional security protocols at the nine venues in Mobile where high school football games are held.
Contributing: Charles Ventura and Joel Shannon, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Alabama high school football game shooting: 9 attempted murder charges
