HURRICANE, WV (WOWK) – Several youth soccer players stepped on the pitch for the first time since a shots fired incident that occurred during a tournament game four days ago.
The championship game for the West Virginia Soccer Tournament Open Cup was cut short on Sunday after shots were fired at an apartment complex near to the Shawnee Sports Complex in Institute. As such, the medal ceremony was rescheduled for Thursday night.
Since parents and kids weren’t all ready to return to Shawnee, the ceremony took place at Valley Park in Hurricane.
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The coaches on both sides, including Scott Grigsby, said the medal ceremony was something they wanted the kids to experience.
“The incident happened outside the complex, but it happened so close that it was tough,” Grigsby said. “All the hard work and effort they put into it, and being there in a tournament knowing you’re two to three minutes away from winning a championship or getting medals, and it got taken away from them, we just think it’s huge.”
The gold medals went to the Great Teays Valley Soccer Club, and the runners-up medals were presented to the Shawnee Soccer Recreation Academy.
According to Kanawha County officials, gunshots were reported around 2:53 p.m. on Sunday by an apartment complex on the 200 block of Smoot Avenue in Institute.
Two of the three suspects, 18-year-old Antonio Jacobs III and 23-year-old Zion Clark, were arraigned Monday morning in connection to the incident. According to the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the third suspect, 24-year-old Kaden Bowman, was booked in the South Central Regional Jail Sunday evening.
Although it is still unclear as to what started the incident, Deputies confirm the three individuals were allegedly involved, and several weapons were recovered from inside the vehicle they left the scene in.
Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango said they will be making immediate changes to security protocol to protect athletes, spectators and staff. That includes an emergency declaration for an upgraded fencing system to put additional gates and emergency bars on the fencing system.
The commission also plans to install a new intercom system, establish reunification points in the park and hold frequent active shooter trainings available for players and coaches.