Washington Nationals Game Descends Into Chaos After Shooting Outside
Saturday night’s Washington Nationals home game against the San Diego Padres in the nation’s capital became a horrifying scene of chaos and confusion after a shooting outside the ballpark sent fans and players running for cover. Three people were reportedly shot, including a fan outside the stadium, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.
The Padres had taken the field for the bottom of the sixth inning around 9:30 p.m. when multiple gunshots were heard coming from the left field side of Nationals Park. The shooting reportedly occurred on South Capitol Street near the Third Base Gate, where people in two cars exchanged gunfire, according to D.C. Police. One bystander, a woman who was attending the Nationals game, was shot, as were two people in one of the cars. They later walked into local hospitals. It’s not clear how many suspects there were; police located one of the two cars and are still looking for the second as of late Saturday night.
At least seven shots could be heard on the live television broadcast of the game:
Confusion, terror, and panic immediately followed inside the ballpark. As the game was halted and the players pulled off the field, fans rushed for cover — some running to flee the stadium, while others scrambled to hide behind seats, on the ground, or inside bathrooms.
Some players could be seen pulling family members from the stands and into the dugout and clubhouse. They helped some nearby fans take cover there, as well.
Padres players Tatis, Manny Machado and Wil Myers pulled family members and fans out of the stands to find safety in their dugout, where at least 50 people gathered, [a fan at the game] said. Ann Plaza, a fan from McLean, said her group went on the field and through the Nationals’ dugout before ending up in the clubhouse near Manager Dave Martinez’s office. “He was there checking on everyone,” Plaza said of Martinez. “A security guard came and asked if we were family. He said ‘Yes, they are family — they’re our fans.’ The guard then asked if we were players’ family and then he said no. They then ushered us into the area right outside and we hung out there until it was safe to leave.”
The public address announcer soon informed fans that the shooting was outside the stadium and asked them to “please remain calm and remain inside the stadium” while authorities handled the situation.
Some fans reacted by rushing onto the field to try to take cover in the dugouts, instead.
Eventually, everyone was told it was safe to leave and asked to exit the stadium from the center and right field gates — and the ballpark was emptied about 45 minutes after the shooting. The game was postponed and will be finished on Sunday.