CARMEL, Ind. — Ben Davis and Carmel football players continue to work through the traumatic events surrounding the Friday shooting.
Freshman football players from both Ben Davis and Carmel were hoping to move on from Friday’s shooting and get their chance on the field. Their game was originally scheduled to be at Ben Davis Saturday but was moved to Carmel. Then the players were disappointed when the game was postponed because of a scheduling conflict with the officials.
"It's understandable from Carmel people, one hundred percent," said Ben Davis Freshman Coach Avery Thompson. "You think about putting your kids in danger."
Thompson said he had a hard time sleeping after Friday’s shooting. "You're not expecting to hear gunshots at a high school football game," he said.
He was on the field at the time of the shooting. Thompson said the whole ordeal was traumatizing. "To see all your boys drop and hit the ground and then fans running...of course, this is not something Carmel really has to deal with. To see those fans take off running to the locker room. It doesn't really sit well," said Thompson.
Dominik Hutsell’s younger brother plays for Carmel and was at the game Friday night. He said he feels sorry both teams experienced such a scare. He lives in Lawrence and thinks something should be done about gun violence. "There's a lot of people who have too much anger and too much built aggression. When something happens or conflict, they are too eager to start shooting. That is unacceptable," said Hutsell.
The shooting got the attention of city leaders. Mayor Joe Hogsett said Indianapolis plans to do more than invest millions of dollars in anti-gun violence prevention. "We are also adding 100 new sworn officers to the streets. At the same time, we are adding dozens of civilian police officers who can respond to non-emergency situations," said Hogsett.
State Rep. Renee Pack said in a statement she's a proud Ben Davis educator and parent of four Ben Davis High School graduates. She added that she is "committed to working on legislative solutions to provide safety for our residents and guests. Our children should be able to attend sporting events without the fear of violence."
Police released the name of the suspected gunman who fired shots Friday night outside the Carmel-Ben Davis football game. Metro Police arrested 18-year-old David Tillman Saturday.
Thompson, who witnessed the shooter being apprehended, said Tillman doesn't go to Ben Davis, and he wants people to know this is not a representation of their community. "We're just trying to play football. We are just trying to move past it and focus on these kids, and fix the community," said Thompson.
The freshman game has been rescheduled for Monday at Ben Davis.