The Waller County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office detained three men who allegedly shot a baseball coach during a pregame prayer, according to witnesses. The coach was shot during a hail of gunfire from a nearby field, just before the start of a little league baseball game at a park northwest of Houston.
According to Houston Warriors founder Andy Baize, the coach was reciting a pregame prayer when he was shot by gunfire from a nearby field, KHOU CBS 11 reports. Witnesses said the gunfire came from three males who were supposedly “target practicing” 700 yards away. There does not appear to be a rifle range or defensive berms on the site next to the Rac baseball field.
According to Baize, the coach was defending one of the children when he was shot in the shoulder during the 20-minute gunfire exchange. “He literally took the bullet for a child on his left, saving us from a horrible calamity. “I’m still very emotional about it,” Baize told KHOU 11’s reporter.
Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry announced the arrest of three males for dangerous conduct—discharge of a firearm. In Texas, the charge is a third-degree felony punishable by two to ten years in prison. The sheriff recognized the men and charged them as follows:
- Mahmood Abdelsalam Rababah, 23
- Charge: Deadly Conduct – Discharge of a Firearm (Felony)
- Bond: $100,000 (Surety Bond)
- Status: Pre-Trial, Active Bond
- Ahmad Mawed, 21
- Charge: Deadly Conduct – Discharge of a Firearm (Felony)
- Bond: $100,000 (Surety Bond)
- Status: Pre-Trial
- Mustafa Mohammad Matalgah, 27
- Charge: Deadly Conduct – Discharge of a Firearm (Felony)
- Bond: $100,000 (Surety Bond)
Sheriff Guidry claimed that the three suspects fired guns from a nearby meadow toward the baseball field. He confirmed the coach’s injury, who was evacuated by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital in neighboring Houston.
Fox 26 Houston reported that one of the mothers expressed concern over safety following the shooting incident and said “I can assure you we will not be going back to The Rac Katy, probably not The Rac Waller either.”
She added, “I know that from start to finish, when the bullets were close and flying by on our field to the end of the round was 20 minutes. That is way too long.”
The Texas Colts athlete informed Fox 26’s Ronnie Marley:
So I was by myself because I was about to pitch, so I was walking out of the dugout getting my stuff and then probably five feet after I walk out the dugout, all I hear is shots fired,” said Colton Bierman, a player with the Texas Colts. “I didn’t know the shots were coming from the forest. I thought it was an active shooter, so I start hiding.
Teammate Miles Ermel added, “I was just going to the dugout drinking water and I just heard one of my coaches say ‘duck down’ so I just ran behind the dugout and hid behind a brick wall, so I didn’t get shot.”
Coach Corbin Geizendorf said, “It was like Afghanistan.” Fellow coach Alex Smith said, “They are 12. We weren’t really worried about us in the moment. It was, How do we get these kids down and out behind a brick wall?”
The proprietors of The Rac initially published the following statement:
- This morning, during a baseball game, an unfortunate incident occurred involving recreational shooting on a nearby property. The local police department was immediately notified of the possible illegal hunting and responded to the scene in an effort to locate and apprehend the individuals involved.
- During this time, a coach was struck in the shoulder. On-site medical personnel provided immediate care, and he was transported to the hospital for furhter treatment. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as he receives treatment for his injuries.
- The police have since apprehended the individuals in question. We are taking every single step possible to ensure this does not happen again on our property. Any future practices or games at the facility are at a pause until law enforcement and our internal investigation has been completed to ensure the safety of all that visit the facility.
The statement was later changed to read:
- We want to acknowledge the seriousness of the incident that occurred this morning at our facility. Our first statement was meant to provide timely and factual updates.
- The safety and well-being of our players, families, coaches, staff, and community is our top priority. 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.
- We are working closely with law enforcement and conducting our own internal review. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. All activities have been suspended for now.
- We are grateful for the response of local authorities, the medical team on site, and the outpouring of care from our community.
According to Waller County jail records obtained by Breitbart Texas, the three males remain in custody pending $100,000 bonds.
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