Four people in attendance for Monday’s game at RingCentral Coliseum between the Oakland A’s and Toronto Blue Jays were struck by bullet fragments during the post-game Fourth of July fireworks show.
Thankfully, none of them were seriously injured, but this incident of gun violence, one of many on America’s birthday, raised concerns about the safety of fans.
The A’s and the Oakland Police Department released a joint statement on Tuesday.
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 5, 2022
“Following last night’s Oakland A’s postgame fireworks show, officers were notified of a possible shooting victim inside the ballpark. During the preliminary investigation, officers located three fans struck by bullet fragments from what appears to be celebratory gunfire occurring throughout the city of Oakland. A fourth victim later walked into a local hospital. All four victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries.”
Per the San Francisco Chronicle, the “celebratory gunfire” appears to have come from outside of the ballpark. An investigation into the shooting is now ongoing.
In the meantime, the news of another gun violence incident on the Fourth of July as well as within the sports world had a lot of people around the Major League Baseball world reacting to the news. Some commented on how it is part of a larger discussion on gun violence while others noted the impact it could have on ongoing new stadium discussions.
July 4: One team cancels fireworks show because of mass shooting, another team reports fans at ballpark were hit by "bullet fragments from what appears to be celebratory gunfire." https://t.co/PwQErnWQfK
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 5, 2022
Not ideal for the pro-“build at the Coliseum” column. https://t.co/72ibckUA1g
— OaklandStadiumWatch (@OakStadiumWatch) July 5, 2022
‘Celebratory gunfire’ should not be a thing. This is terrifying. It feels like nowhere is safe in the US from guns. https://t.co/RBC6iwHC3W
— Ruth Kapelus (@RuthKapelus) July 5, 2022
Jesus. https://t.co/mDvBFlF26M
— Brian Heater (@bheater) July 5, 2022
If only there was a good guy with a gun randomly firing into the air, they could have taken out this bad guy with a gun before THEY randomly fired in the air. MORE GUNS PLEASE. https://t.co/yBemnUpdtH
— Hal the Hot Dog Guy (@AsHotDog) July 5, 2022
"stick to sports" crowd gonna have a real hard time with this one https://t.co/o21q3ZDdzl
— Natanel (@NatanelWRLD) July 5, 2022
If you’re looking to sports to distract you from the violent issues concerning our country, good luck trying.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.