Shootings during high school sports games are increasing. What are schools doing about it?

Gun violence has again seeped into a youth sporting event in Central Indiana, the latest case unfolding last week near Beech Grove High School after a girls' sectional basketball game had taken place.

Officers arrested a 17-year-old on the scene who school officials say was not affiliated with the district.

Beech Grove Superintendent Laura Hammack said in a statement there was no threat to students.

"Because of a comprehensive response from our staff and parents, all students on campus were safe inside of the school building during this incident," Hammack said.

The incident marks at least the fourth time gunfire has erupted at high school sporting events in the region in the past few years.

In 2021, Ben Davis High School’s homecoming football game against Carmel was cut short when several teens began to fight, and a 16-year-old was shot in the arm outside the stadium. David Tillman, 18 years old at the time, was sentenced in the shooting last year to six years in prison after pleading guilty to battery with a deadly weapon and carrying a handgun without a license.

Docs: Teen arrested in Ben Davis football game shooting said he was firing 'warning shots'

In recent months, the gun violence spilling onto school grounds during kids' sporting games has continued.

Westfield police arrested 17-year-old Elijah Earl last November after investigators alleged the teen followed a coach after a game at the Pacers Athletic Center and shot at their vehicle as they drove away. Prosecutors have charged the 17-year-old as an adult.

One month later, gunshots were fired outside the Lawrence Central High School gym shortly after the end of a boys' basketball game against Lawrence North. Nobody was injured. Police arrested a total of three teenagers who they say were found with guns on the grounds after the shooting, though their involvement remains unclear.

What safety measures do schools use for sporting events?

For many districts in Marion County, schools have taken to screening every attendee at sporting events through a metal detector or only allowing see-through bags into facilities.

Other districts, such as Perry Township schools, have gone a step further and have purchased new AI weapons detection systems that they now use for everyday entrance for their high schools but also for sporting events.

The machines are meant to create a seamless entrance process for spectators while also catching concealed weapons like guns or knives.

More on school saftey: Perry Township high schools to start using weapons detector

Perry Township associate superintendent Chris Sampson told reporters in November that during the first few months of using the new devices, they have mostly caught adults trying to bring guns into sporting events.

“Indiana is a permitless carry state,” Sampson said. “The exception to that are school buildings and school property, and the only people that are allowed to carry on school property by law, or law enforcement personnel.”

Sampson said in those cases the school personnel monitoring the doors then asks the adult to return the firearm to their car.

Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts told IndyStar that they learned from the 2021 incident and have made changes to security measures like reinforcing fencing all around their football stadium so that there is only one entry and exit point.

“With all of our facilities, in particularly regarding our extracurricular facilities, we have gone through not only with our law enforcement officials, but also with some trusted individuals who work in that space to go around and identify points that may increase the risk of a safety concern,” Butts said.

For most Wayne Township sporting events there will be school police officers to help monitor crowds and sometimes extra IMPD officers or adult volunteers are called in if there is a heightened risk or it is expected to have a large crowd.

Brian Clouse, the chief of police for the Wayne Township police department, says the school district collaborates with IMPD and other local law enforcement to track crime involving youth and uses that to adjust their safety protocols.

“I call that kind of a data-driven approach,” Clouse said. “That way we’re cognizant and aware of things going on around us that may impact us, like social media, if there is a beef on social media we know that’s going to impact our schools.”

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Other school districts, like Pike Township, are starting to only allow students from the schools that are competing in the event to attend the game as long as they can show their student ID.

For many of these shootings near or during high school sporting events, the shooting often happens outside of the school sports facility or in the parking lot.

Another recent adjustment Wayne Township has made for its football games is requiring pre-sale tickets for everyone attending, which they must show as proof before being allowed on the school campus.

Outside school grounds, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said their officers monitor social media regularly for any posts that may warrant a police response, a spokesperson said. The department added they will support to school police when necessary.

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

Caroline’s reporting is made possible by Report for America and Glick Philanthropies. As part of its work in Marion County, Glick Philanthropies partners with organizations focused on closing access and achievement gaps in education. 

Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of the reporter’s salary during their time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder.  

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What are schools doing to prevent shootings at sporting events?