A person watching a ballgame at the Union County Sports Complex was struck by a bullet, according to the Union County sheriff, though the round had traveled far enough that the person walked away unharmed. Deputies quickly made clear there was no active shooter at the complex, even as the unsettling report rattled a night that should have been about nothing more than a local game.
Deputies believe the bullet originated before 8 p.m. from someone conducting target practice at a nearby property, with the round traveling from that property to the ballgame, according to cwcolumbus.com. Investigators say the bullet had traveled such a long distance by the time it reached the person that it caused no injuries, a detail that offered some relief even as it underscored just how far a stray round can carry from a backyard range to a crowded ballfield.
Deputies Say They Tracked Down the Source
In the hours after the incident, deputies said they believed they had located the home where the shots originated. The resident there was described as cooperating with investigators, and deputies took the resident's gun so it could be tested, according to the same report. No charges had been filed against the resident at the time of the report.
The episode fits a pattern seen elsewhere around the country, where stray rounds from target shooting or nearby gunfire have reached athletic fields mid-activity. A video shared by ABC News documented a coach struck by a stray bullet during a youth baseball game in Texas, while a report from JoCo Report described a bullet striking a ballfield dugout near Kenly, North Carolina, as players were arriving for practice, with no injuries noted in that case either.
Results of the testing on the resident's firearm have not been released, and it remains unclear whether any charges will follow once that process concludes. For now, the account rests on deputies' preliminary assessment that this was a case of stray gunfire from nearby target practice rather than any deliberate act aimed at the ballgame crowd.
