Gunshots fired near NC Little League tournament came from someone shooting at road sign, police say

WILSON, N.C. — Police said gunshots fired near an NC Little League tournament in Wilson came from someone shooting at a road sign half a mile away, according to WTVD.

The tournament, where youth teams from across the state -- including three from the Charlotte area -- were competing, came to a sudden end on July 10 at the Gillette Athletic Complex after the players, coaches, and family members heard the gunfire.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty learned the Lake Norman eight-and-under team was playing at the time when the shots were fired.

Police told WTVD that the baseball fields can’t be seen from where the bullets were fired.

Investigators have not released information on who fired the shots.

Coaches said the players and coaches got on the ground or ran for safety.

Steve Treffiletti was coaching his son and the Lake Norman eight-and-under all-star team when he said he heard five to seven shots fired near the ballfield at the tournament. Parents, coaches and players can be seen on video scrambling to take cover.

“There’s coaches laying on top of other kids from other teams to protect them. Without skipping a beat we run to the playground and cleared the playground of all the kids. And it wasn’t just us. There were five, six dads from different teams who all just banded together to protect each other,” Treffiletti said.

Fortunately no one was hurt, but a round shattered the rear window of a van parked feet from one of the fields. Witnesses said another round was also found on the ballfield.

Police said they were initially called to the Gillette Athletic Complex for an active shooter, but now, don’t believe players or their families were being targeted.

“With no resolution to who the shooter was, where it came from. With no information, I believe most of the teams have made the decision that we just don’t feel safe enough to go back to those fields,” said Tim Barrett, coach of the Myers Park Trinity Little All-Star Team.

Coaches said with no one in custody and for the safety of the players and their families, they decided to leave Wilson Monday.

“There were people underneath cars, behind cars, in the woods. One team ran behind the stadium. It was protection mode. It was pretty chaotic for a few minutes there,” Treffiletti said.

The coaches said obviously the kids were disappointed, but their hope is to get the clubs in the area together to play a game possibly sometime this week.

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Man accused of firing shots near local park; families say they were evacuated from kids’ game

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