Katy baseball field shooting: Players, parents, coaches recount running from nearby gunfire
Parents, players, coaches react to gunfire during baseball game
What was supposed to be a fun game of baseball at The Rac in Katy turned chaotic Sunday morning. Multiple shots were fired, injuring a coach. Players, parents and coaches from another team react.
WALLER COUNTY, Texas - What was supposed to be a fun game of baseball at The Rac near Katy turned chaotic Sunday morning after multiple gunshots were fired around 9:40 a.m.
One person was injured in the gunfire.
Coach injured in shooting
What we know:
The Waller County Sheriff's Office says the gunfire was recreational and coming from a wooded area nearby.
Authorities say one person was injured – a 27-year-old coach. He was released from the hospital Sunday. Parents say the coach was with the Texas Warriors.
Parents with the Texas Colts, another team playing on a separate field nearby, say the bullet ricocheted off a pole and hit the coach.
Players, coaches, parents react
What they're saying:
Players with the Texas Colts reacted to the shooting.
"So I was by myself because I was about to pitch, so I was walking out of the dugout getting my stuff and then probably five feet after I walk out the dugout, all I hear is shots fired," said Colton Bierman, a player with the Texas Colts. "I didn’t know the shots were coming from the forest. I thought it was an active shooter, so I start hiding."
"I was just going to the dugout drinking water and I just heard one of my coaches say ‘duck down’ so I just ran behind the dugout and hid behind a brick wall so I didn't get shot," said Miles Ermel, another player with the Texas Colts.
Their parents say the Texas Colts is a new team that was formed to help kids have fun playing the game, and take the anxiety out of it.
Coaches with the Texas Colts say they too are traumatized. They also added that bullets passed by their field and hit the coach on a separate field.
"It was like Afghanistan," said Corbin Geisendorff, a coach with the Texas Colts.
"That’s the problem. They are 12. We weren't really worried about us in the moment. It was how do we get these kids down and out behind a brick wall," said Alex Smith, a coach with the Texas Colts.
Both coaches say even though the team is new, it is a family and everyone there loves the game, so their main concern was making sure their boys were okay. Both coaches were very emotional talking about the ordeal.
The Rac Baseball releases statement
The other side:
The Rac Baseball released two statements on Sunday.
The first statement reads as follows :
"This morning, during a baseball game, an unfortunate incident occurred involving recreational shooting on a nearby property. The local police department was immediately notified of the possible illegal hunting and responded to the scene in an effort to locate and apprehend the individuals involved.
During this time, a coach was struck in the shoulder. On-site medical personnel provided immediate care, and he was transported to the hospital for further treatment. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as he receives treatment for his injuries.
The police have since apprehended the individuals in question. We are taking every step possible to ensure this does not happen again on our property. Any future practices or games at the facility are at a pause until law enforcement and our internal investigation has been completed to ensure the safely of all that visit the facility."
A second statement was put out around 2:50 p.m. It reads as follows :
"We want to acknowledge the seriousness of the incident that occurred this morning at our facility. Our first statement was meant to provide timely and factual updates.
The safety and well-being of our players, families, coaches, staff, and community is our top priority. We are deeply shaken by what happened, and our focus remains on supporting the coach who was injured, his family, and everyone who was affected. We are working closely with law enforcement and conducting our own internal review. We will continiue to provide updates as more information becomes available. All activities have been suspended for now.
We are grateful for the response of local authorities, the medical team on site, and the outpouring of care from our community."
Parents react
What's next:
Parents with the Texas Colts say it was scary to see their children run for cover, some even bear crawling for safety. They tell me they want to see more security and a better evaluation of what’s around baseball field moving forward.
"I’m pinching myself. Did this just happen? It's surreal, this just happened," said Huyen Ermel.
"Had 10 seconds gone by, and we would be sitting here telling you a whole different story," said Kelly Bierman.
The Source: The information in this article comes from the Waller County Sheriff's office, The Rac and interviews with players, coaches and parents.