A football rivalry night in Hampton took a frightening turn Thursday when shots rang out near Darling Stadium just as fans were leaving the Hampton-Phoebus game. Police say a fight involving minors broke out in a wooded area near the stadium, followed by gunfire, though no one was hurt and no property was damaged.
Hampton Police received a call at about 9:55 p.m. reporting the fight and the gunshots, according to Daily Press. Officers were told the disturbance was happening in wooded terrain near the stadium grounds, and by the time police arrived, everyone involved had already scattered. As pilotonline.com reported, officers found no injuries and no damage to property, and no arrests were made that night.
The chaos unfolded on the heels of an upset: Phoebus beat Hampton 27-21 in a game that had plenty of local buzz heading in, the outlet's report noted. A box score listed on maxpreps.com confirms the Crabbers fell to Phoebus by that same score on Thursday at Darling Stadium.
Investigation Still Open as Questions Linger
As of Friday, Hampton Police described the case as an active investigation, the same report noted. No further details have been released about who was involved, what sparked the fight, or how many shots were fired, and those specifics remain unknown for now.
The scare in Hampton echoes a far more serious incident that unfolded just two weeks earlier outside Pittsburgh. A shooting outside Cupples Stadium following a high school football game between Westinghouse and University Prep left three teenagers wounded, according to wtae.com. In that case, police said shots were fired as fans were leaving the stadium while officers tried to break up a fight, and the three teens were hospitalized in stable condition. A 15-year-old was later taken into custody and faces three counts each of attempted homicide and aggravated assault, along with charges tied to possessing and carrying a firearm as a minor, the station reported.
No such charges have been filed in the Hampton case, and police have not said whether that will change as the investigation continues. For now, the only confirmed outcome from Thursday night near Darling Stadium is that everyone walked away unharmed — a relief that officers and fans alike are not taking for granted given what happened in Pittsburgh.
