2 teens shot in fight at NC prep basketball tournament Wednesday night, police say
Two teens were shot late Wednesday at Catawba College in Salisbury during a high school basketball tournament game, according to the Salisbury Police Department.
At about 8:20 p.m., a person fired “more than one shot” in the lobby area of the gym, injuring the teens, Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes said at a news conference. A fight had broken out in the lobby, police said.
A 13-year-old male was flown to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem after he was shot in one of his legs, WBTV reported. The teen was in stable but good condition, police said.
A 14-year-old shot in the forearm was treated at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center and released, according to WBTV.
No arrests were announced.
“Clearly a senseless act to be firing, particularly in the atmosphere those shots were fired in, at some young people,” Stokes said. “Completely unnecessary, and we’re going to do our best to determine who the person was and hold them accountable.”
Hundreds in gym
About 400 people were in the gym at the time, Stokes said.
The shots were fired at halftime of the North Rowan-West Rowan boys’ basketball game, police said.
Shortly after the shooting, Catawba College told people to shelter-in-place for anyone who was on campus.
That order lasted for a little over two hours, and at 10:42 p.m., the college tweeted that Salisbury police wanted college residents to remain in their buildings until 6 a.m. and avoid the area around the gym.
College reaction
On Twitter Thursday afternoon, Catawba College said it was “angry & saddened” by the shooting.
“What should have been an enjoyable event was marred by senseless violence,” the tweet said. “We will continue to work to ensure the safety & well-being of our campus & local community.”
The game was the last of seven boys’ and girls’ contests at Catawba’s Goodman Gym, in the semifinals of the annual Sam Moir Holiday Classic.
The game was not completed, and Salisbury-Rowan County Schools announced late Wednesday that the rest of the tournament had been canceled. The event was to have finished Thursday.
Observer reporter Mark Price contributed to this report
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 11:51 PM.