North Carolina Little League teams pull out of state championships after shooting scare

Active shooting scares in the U.S. are now seeping into what should arguably be American hallowed ground: Little League baseball diamonds.

Over the weekend, video emerged of gunshots interrupting a Little League game in Wilson, North Carolina. Now, the two teams playing during the incident are pulling out of their state championship tournament after deciding that returning to the field was not in the best interest of the children, coaches and parents involved.

“The events were too traumatic for us to even consider having the teams return to Wilson to play,” reads a Facebook post attributed to the executive committee of the South Durham Little League, whose teams of 8- and 9-year-olds were on the field at the time of the scare.

Both of those teams — 8U Orange All Star and 9U All Star — have now pulled out of the tournament.

“This was not a decision made lightly, but it also was not a difficult decision for us to make. The events were too traumatic for us to even consider having the teams return to Wilson to play,” the statement continues. “We are not alone in deciding not to return. At the time of writing this, four of the other six leagues participating in the 9U tournament and five of the other 11 leagues in the 8U tournament have withdrawn.”

Heartwrenching video of the moment the sound of gunshots sparked children into flight mode circulated over the weekend. NBC affiliate WITM of Eastern North Carolina acquired footage of the incident, which occurred on Sunday morning, and showed the two teams of children startled by the sound of three gunshots in the near distance. Immediately after, players attempt to scramble out of harm’s way and off the field, while others hit the ground and cover their ears.

According to WITN, one round seemed to have reached the outfield where players stood. The rest of the game was canceled.

On Monday, Capt. Steven Stroud of the Wilson Police Department said that it was still actively investigating the occurrence and working to determine the cause of the shooting.

“The Wilson Police Department currently has no evidence that this situation was an active shooter incident,” said the statement. “The Wilson Police Department, at this time, has no evidence that anyone at the location was intentionally targeted by gunfire. We can confirm that three shots were fired during the incident.”

The South Durham Little League committee is now grappling with the fallout of Sunday’s incident and says it is looking for resources to help players, coaches, and parents process the trauma they experienced.

“Tragic events such as these are happening far too often in our country. We too often think it won’t happen to us. Today, it happened for 7 and 8-year-old Little League players, for children and coaches we all know,” the committee said in the statement. “No child or parent should ever experience anything like this.”