Video shows players run from Cupples Stadium field after shooting outside high school football game
By Kalea Gunderson
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PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — Three teenagers were injured in a shooting outside Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh’s South Side on Thursday night, just feet from police officers who were breaking up fights in the area.
A postgame interview captured the sound of gunshots, followed by players and spectators running from the field, as seen on a live stream from 22 The Point.
Pittsburgh police Chief Jason Lando said, “There was a large crowd out here on Carson Street. A couple of fights broke out.”
He added that officers were present in the crowd and were just steps away from the shooter when the shots were fired.
The victims, a 16-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, and an 18-year-old, were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition.
“Hoping they make a full recovery,” said Jason Stefko, a neighbor who lives near Cupples Stadium.
Stefko said most game nights are chaotic along South 9th Street.
“A lot of it is because they let big crowds out front of the entrance,” Stefko said. “You’ll see people all down the road the entire night.”
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In response to the incident, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced new safety measures for football games Friday night. Spectators must be 18 or older, gathering outside the stadium is prohibited, and attendees inside the venue must remain in the stands and avoid congregating in walkways and corridors. Police presence will also be increased.
Pittsburgh City Council member Bob Charland addressed the violence, noting that it follows what he said was the South Side’s safest summer on record.
“We’d like to see the district enforce a chaperone policy. It’s something that we’ve asked them to do repeatedly, year after year,” Charland said. “Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Certain games have a chaperone policy, but we really need to see a chaperone policy here at Cupples Stadium.”
Police confirmed that one person was taken to headquarters for questioning Thursday night, and a firearm was recovered near the scene. It remains unclear if the shooter or the victims had entered the game, though security used metal detectors at the stadium entrances.
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