Coach injured in shooting during Katy baseball game at The Rac in Katy, Texas in Waller County, EMS says
A baseball coach was shot when gunfire broke out during a Sunday morning game at a sports complex, Waller County EMS said.
It happened at The Rac in Katy, a Houston suburb, at 9:50 a.m., the Waller County Sheriff's Office said.
A stray bullet struck a 27-year-old coach in the shoulder during the game, according to Waller County EMS.
Officers responded to a firearms complaint call, when a second caller called in and said someone had been shot.
The coach was air-lifted to a hospital and has since been released.
Video of the incident showed athletes scrambling for safety as multiple shots rang out. Some ducked to the ground, while others ran off the field.
But where did the shots come from? The sheriff's office told ABC Houston affiliate KTRK three people were shooting at targets in the area.
Alex Smith and Corbin Geisendorff are the head and assistant coaches for the Texas Colts, a youth baseball team. They said they were there when it happened.
"There was bullets flying everywhere. It wasn't one shot," Geisendorff said. "There's bullets flying everywhere off the poles, onto the field. It's just unbelievable."
It's a moment they'll never forget.
"Our team was about to take the field," Smith said. "Our kids were out ready to go, and then shots started being let go. They ducked down, got in line, and they trusted us, thankfully. We got them to their parents."
Geisendorff said the person struck with the bullet was a coach for a different team at a field across from them.
"I actually went over to the gentleman and saw him, like, right there. I prayed over him," Geisendorff said. "There was a gentleman who was already there. They used a belt to tourniquet his arm, you know, stop the bleeding really quick."
The coaches said they actually heard shots on Saturday during the first day of their tournament, but they said it sounded further away.
"I looked at him this morning and I was like, 'Yeah, this kind of sounds a little bit close,'" Geisendorff said.
The Rac put out a statement about the situation and said in part, "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."
The complex said it suspended all practices and games for now.
Investigators have identified three persons of interest but have not made any arrests yet.
Geisendorff and Smith said their brand new baseball team will support one another as they process what happened.
"This is a family for us. This is more than just baseball," Geisendorff said.
