Gunfire sends kids scrambling at park as car plunges into pool, NC officials say

Children scrambled as gunfire erupted at the end of a gun violence prevention event, a North Carolina coach said.

Roderick Brown said people were gathered Aug. 2 at Seabrook Park in Fayetteville to hold a balloon release in honor of a former basketball player who was shot and killed. Organizers also took the opportunity to try to steer young people away from gun violence.

But after the event, Brown said he saw a car pull into the park’s busy parking lot and saw someone grab a gun. He raced toward the rec center, locked the door and told a group of children to stay in the gym as he looked outside.

“I heard gunshots and just (saw) kids running across the basketball court and running into the woods,” he told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

The Fayetteville Police Department confirmed details about the shooting, saying “a disturbance broke out, and multiple shots were fired” as people left the balloon release. One person reportedly was shot while behind the wheel of a Kia Optima.

The car careened past a fence and landed in the park’s pool before the injured driver pulled himself out of the water and staggered toward a street, officers said. Photos show a car in the pool, with its doors open and taillights up in the air.

The driver, whose age wasn’t listed in a police department news release, was in critical condition and flown to Chapel Hill. He later was in stable condition.

The shooting was reported at about 8 p.m. at Seabrook Park, which has outdoor basketball courts, playground equipment and other attractions. It happened less than a week after the shooting death of 22-year-old Lorenzo Darnell McLaughlin Jr., who played basketball at the park’s rec center as a teen.

The Aug. 2 balloon release was held in memory of McLaughlin, who was killed July 29. As Brown heard gunshots ring out, he said he hoped that there wouldn’t be another tragedy.

“I was just hoping that everybody made it out of the parking lot safe,” he said.

Officers don’t believe the Seabrook Park shooting was random. They found two “suspect vehicles” but didn’t identify suspects in their news release.

An investigation continues, and anyone who has information is asked to call police at 910-303-4220 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477. People also can visit fay-nccrimestoppers.org or use the P3 Tips smartphone application.

Fayetteville is roughly 55 miles south of Raleigh.

Gun violence in the US

Thousands of people die every year from firearm injuries in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Firearm injuries are a serious public health problem,” officials said. “In 2020, there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States — that’s about 124 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day.”

Firearm-related injuries were one of the top leading causes of death for people ages 1 to 44 in 2020, the CDC reported.

“More than half of firearm-related deaths were suicides and more than 4 out of every 10 were firearm homicides,” the CDC says.

The impact of gun violence, however, goes beyond the death toll, experts said.

“The effects of firearm violence extend beyond victims and their families,” according to the CDC. “Shooting incidents, including those in homes, schools, houses of worship, workplaces, shopping areas, on the street or at community events can affect the sense of safety and security of entire communities and impact everyday decisions.”

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