Six men have been arrested in connection with a shooting at a New Jersey high school football game that injured three, among them a 10-year-old boy who is in critical condition.
Alvin Wyatt, 31, of Atlantic City, allegedly opened fire during a Pleasantville High School football game in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Friday night. He was arrested near the scene and charged with three counts of attempted murder and two weapons charges.
In a press conference Saturday, Pleasantville Police Capt. Matt Hartman said that the shooting was a targeted attack against one of the three victims, 27-year-old Ibn Abdullah, who is in critical condition and preparing to undergo surgery at Atlanticare Regional Medical in Atlantic City.
Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner told reporters that Abdullah had been taken into police custody at the hospital in connection with the attack. He has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and certain persons not to possess a weapon.
The 10-year-old victim, who was airlifted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after being shot in the neck during the attack, is "very critically injured," Hartman said. The third victim, a 15-year-old, was treated for a graze wound at the same hospital and released Friday night.
Four men who fled the scene of the attack have also been arrested; authorities said they threw a weapon out of the car while being chased by police.
Michael Mack, 27, Tyrell Dorn, 28, Shahid Dixon, 27, and Vance Golden, 26, were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and certain persons not to possess a weapon. Dixon, the alleged driver, was also charged with eluding arrest. They are all from Atlantic City, except Golden, who is from Pleasantville.
The shooting occurred at 8:29 p.m. during the third quarter of a state playoff game between the Camden Panthers and the Pleasantville Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds won their first division title in 43 years this season, and Friday night's event was described by witnesses as the most-attended game in years.
Videos from the game posted on social media show the panicked scene as gunshots rang out.
Breaking: As the shooting happens at the Camden/Pleasantville football game. People running, jumping fences, laying on the ground. @6abc
In a statement Saturday, Tyner described the shooting as an act of "petty vengeance."
"As a result, an innocent child was caught and injured in their crossfire," he said. "Our community will not be held hostage by a few idiots intent on jeopardizing our safety and the safety of our children,"
Pleasantville police captain Hartman said Friday's incident was "not a Pleasantville problem" that originated in the city.
"This was a problem that came to us,” he said. “And while we’ll handle it and we’re well-prepared to handle the issue and deal with the ramifications of it, this isn’t something that started here, but it’s something we’re going to finish.”