A high school football game between North College Hill and Woodward was disrupted by a shooting incident on Friday night, marking the second occurrence of gunfire near the North College Hill stadium this month.
The shooting, which took place in the elementary school’s parking lot, resulted in one student-athlete from Woodward being injured and rushed to the hospital.
The stadium was swiftly evacuated as authorities secured the crime scene. Both schools’ principals expressed their concern over the emotional trauma this incident may cause, with the North College Hill principal declaring that no further games would be played at the stadium for the rest of the season.
Principal Sam Yates of Woodward Career Technical High School told families in an e-mail that a Woodward student-athlete was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The principal of North College Hill, Eugene Blalock Jr., said in a social media post that he was “disheartened” by what occurred and concerned that “the emotional scars and trauma will be long-lasting.”
“I feel absolutely helpless, but I acknowledge that we cannot control the actions of those who choose to engage in harmful behavior,” he said.
Shots were also fired near the stadium during a Sept. 6 game against Cincinnati Country Day. No one was injured. Blalock said this would be the last game played at the stadium this season.
“I live in North College Hill,” he told The (Cincinnati) Enquirer. “It’s a great community, but there are far too many guns out here on the street.”
A Cincinnati Public Schools spokesperson said a crisis response team “will be on-site to provide support to students as they return to school Tuesday.”