A shooting in Turtle Creek on Friday night forced the suspension of the Woodland Hills-Penn Hills football game.
At 10:06 p.m., police were dispatched to the 1200 block of Lynn Avenue for reports of gunfire. Around the same time, a man had left the game at the Wolvarena stadium and was shot in the leg as he was walking on the 900 block of Oak Avenue in Turtle Creek.
“The victim ran back to the football stadium seeking medical attention,” county police said in a statement. “The game was suspended by officials. The victim was transported to a local hospital by ambulance where he was treated, and later released.”
The gunfire, near the Wolvarena, caused chaos and panic.
Woodland Hills was playing a home game against Penn Hills. The sounds of the gunfire sent fans scrambling from the front of the concession stand by the playing field to the top of the concrete bleachers, Turtle Creek Mayor Adam Forgie said.
About 25 fans flooded into the press box to seek shelter from the chaos. Forgie declined comment on if any fans in the stadium were injured during the stampede.
The responding police evacuated the stadium.
“I live right up the hill,” Forgie said Friday night. “I heard the reports of the call and came down immediately to find out what’s going on. It’s still an active investigation. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
The game was stopped with 10:50 remaining and Woodland Hills ahead 26-6.
Penn Hills and Woodland Hills had played two of its past three games with no fans.
The 2021 game was played with no fans after a shooting at a haunted hayride in North Versailles.
“It caused the students to freak out and rightfully so,” Forgie said. “It’s still early in the investigation, and we’re going to find out what happened.”
Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.