A 17-year-old boy was shot during a football game near Watkins Elementary School on the evening of Sept. 21. Officers arrived at the scene around 5:45 p.m. and found the teen boy with a gunshot wound to his lower body. Emergency responders quickly transported him to a nearby hospital, where they deemed his injuries non-life-threatening.
The 16-year-old suspect fled the scene before officers arrived but turned himself in to First District Police, Sept. 23. Police arrested the teenager and charged him with assault with a dangerous weapon.
Senior Evan Liu is aware of shootings at sports games across the country but never expected one to happen so close to home, he said. Now, the recent shooting near Watkins Elementary has left him and many others in the community shaken, raising concerns about safety at local events.
“Although I’ve always felt safe at school,” Liu said. “I’ve gotten this subconscious fear with the increase in recent shootings.”
School safety is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue within the MCPS community. MCPS administrators are considering installing metal detectors inside every high school and increasing security measures around identifying students.
Football games have a history of sparking conflict and violence, with multiple fights breaking out at MCPS sporting events in recent years. Whitman administrators began enforcing stricter regulations at football games following the brawl during the Bethesda-Chevy Chase vs. Whitman football game that had required police intervention. The new rules included increased security and crowd control measures to ensure the safety of students and spectators.
Junior Thomas Kemp, who plays for the Whitman football team and often attends games, said he has noticed the increase in security measures and isn’t too concerned about potential violence.
“I’ve always felt safe at games,” Kemp said. “Especially in recent games, I have never been afraid of any violence happening.”
On Sept. 23, 2022, MCPS administrators implemented new regulations requiring students from non-competing schools to have adult chaperones when attending sporting events. The rules also prohibit new entries and re-entries at halftime and increased security patrols in high-traffic areas.
This year, Whitman introduced a new policy requiring students to present their student ID badges for entry to sporting events, no longer accepting Synergy accounts on cell phones, which they allowed last year.
These measures show MCPS’s increased dedication to prioritizing student safety and ensuring that all students can feel safe at school.
Additionally, Whitman held a Safety Day Sept. 27 to prepare students for various dangerous scenarios. The day featured numerous drills, including shelter-in-place, lockdown, earthquake and severe weather preparedness.
The Safety Day aimed to prepare students for the increasing possibility of violent outbreaks happening at school.
Sophomore James Samson said he has not considered gun violence an issue in the area, although upon hearing the recent news, he has become disheartened.
“I was never really concerned about it,” Samson said, “although it makes me worry that something could happen at the next game.”
