A security guard’s effort to break up a brawl outside a New York high school football game resulted in his taking a gunshot to the head captured in a shocking video.
(Video: WKTV)
The first home game for Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica, New York was drawing to a close Saturday afternoon when cautious security had turned away a group seeking entry to the matchup against Binghamton High School. As Utica Police Chief Mark Williams told the press, guards “suspected that something wasn’t right,” and those suspicions panned out when a brawl erupted shortly thereafter.
Footage posted on social media showed red-shirted security officials and what appeared to be at least one uniformed officer entering the fray to stop the fight when, a moment later, two gunshots were heard, and while the crowd scattered one guard collapsed to the ground.
Security guard shot in the head and passed away in Utica ny proctor high school football varsity game pic.twitter.com/6BUTioxzQW
— Unknown (@NewssOfUticaNY) September 9, 2023
“Shots rang out, and there was a Utica City School District employee, security officer, that was shot in the back of the head,” Williams explained and detailed what led to the brawl. “Late in the fourth quarter, security staff at the Armory Drive entrance stopped a group of males. They were trying to enter the game. They suspected that something wasn’t right with this group, and they refused to let them into the stadium.”
WKTV indicated that the guard, who had yet to be publicly identified, had been rushed to nearby St. Elizabeth Medical Center where he was reported to be in critical but stable condition.
Meanwhile, attendees at the game were held until the area was confirmed secure.
Though it was initially unclear who the suspect was, an update from the Utica Police Department noted that as their “Criminal Investigations Division, NY/NJ Regional Marshalls Taskforce comprising of members of the Utica Police Department and Oneida County Sheriff’s Warrants Units, and Utica Police Department Crime Prevention Unit began to seek the individual out during the early morning hours,” a 16-year-old suspect had turned himself in.
“The suspect…is not a current student at Proctor High School, but is enrolled in an alternative educational program,” the statement explained. “Due to his age we are unable to release his name, but will work diligently with the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office to seek the ability to prosecute the suspect as adult.”
In addition to a charge of “Attempted Murder in the second degree,” the juvenile was facing multiple weapons charges that included “Criminal Possession of a Firearm” and “Criminal Use of a Firearm in the first degree.”
Speaking with the press, Interim School Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Davis indicated that security measures would be reviewed to determine ways to help prevent future such incidents and the district would be working with authorities. “School safety is paramount. There is no tolerance for weapons on school property. The district will be working with the UPD to identify anyone involved.”
She noted that metal detectors were already in use at the entrance to the stadium, but that the incident took place outside that perimeter.
Additionally, Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri told the press, “I will not, as a mayor, stand for this behavior in my city. And whatever has to be done, will be done.”
As to all security working the game, Chief Williams remarked, “The actions of these security officers were heroic, and our thoughts and prayers are with that security officer and his family.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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