South Allegheny provides support services after gun shot at football game
Friday’s contest with Elizabeth Forward was called off after the incident.
TribLive
Counselors will be on hand Monday at South Allegheny schools in the wake of Friday’s incident in which a gun was fired at a football game outside of the district’s Gladiator Stadium.
Support services are intended for students who might need to talk and process their feelings, according to a letter issued by the district.
Liberty Borough police anticipate juvenile delinquency charges will be filed against a Pittsburgh teen who, they say, fired a shot from a stolen gun Friday night outside the game.
Charges against the 17-year-old will include reckless endangerment, possession of a firearm by a minor, possession of a weapon on school property, receiving stolen property, and carrying a firearm without a license, Chief Ralph Marsico said in a statement.
Marsico did not name the teen. Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues, he said.
There were no reported injuries from the gunshot, he said.
Marsico identified the teen as a Pittsburgh Brashear High School student. He was taken to a juvenile detention center.
“This was an extremely serious incident,” Marsico said. “A firearm was discharged during a heavily attended school sporting event where numerous students, children, parents, school personnel, and members of our community were present. The potential for a far more tragic outcome cannot be overstated.”
At 10:53 p.m. Friday, police responded to a single gunshot outside South Allegheny’s Gladiator Stadium, during a South Allegheny versus Elizabeth Forward football game, Marsico said.
Liberty Borough and South Allegheny police and security officers were working the event, and school police officers were able to quickly take the teen into custody without incident, Marsico said.
Police recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun from the teen’s waistband, the chief said. The gun was reported stolen out of Wilkins.
A livestream of the game showed spectators fleeing the stadium after the shot was heard.
“There was a loud shot, and I knew immediately what it was,” said Jess Levo-Sten, the camera operator for Trib-Live’s High School Sports Network livestream. “Everybody paused and looked at each other, and then everybody started running.”
Levo-Sten, who is going into her 17th season as a camera operator, said she hid in the press box with multiple spectators. She kept her headphones on and listened to play-by-play announcers Paul Paterra and Lou Rood describe the situation as it unfolded.
“A lot of people were crying. It was chaotic,” said Levo-Sten, of Canonsburg. “We’ve been doing this so long, and I’ve never felt unsafe at a game before.”
She noted the game had a later start time than usual because the officials were working a game earlier in the night. Kickoff didn’t happen until about 8:30 p.m., she said.
The game was immediately declared over following the incident, South Allegheny Superintendent David McDonald said. He thanked police for their quick response.
“We are extremely grateful that no one was struck by gunfire and that our students, families and community members were able to return home safely,” Marsico said.
Liberty Borough police continue to investigate.
“I’m very grateful it was an isolated incident,” Levo-Sten said. “The police ended it very quickly. It could have been so much worse.”
The South Allegheny School District announced Sunday that counselors from Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services and Turtle Valley Community Services will be available today, along with the district’s guidance counselors and social work staff.
They will be posted at the middle school/high school, South Allegheny Elementary and SA Gladiator Academy. “for any student who may need someone to talk with, additional support, or simply a place to process their thoughts and feelings,” according to a release from the district.
