lockdown at ES track meet; students all okay

[Anonymous]

Chilling moment when your kid calls you to say, Mommy there are gunshots and we are hiding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When gunshots were first heard, the kids either took cover under the bleachers, ran into the lock room or bathroom, or took cover by a wall along the track. The track meet had not started yet. It was about to start in the next 15 minutes or so.

After the gunfire subsided, the kids were all brought out to the field to line up and get accounted for.

The West track meet had not started yet - the East track meet was on its last few events. The kids who were on the far side of the track lining up for the races were told by adults to run into the nearby trees. The adults present did as well as possible under the circumstances, but it was awful. The locker rooms and bathrooms were packed and many team members were separated from one another. It was an experience no kid or adult should have to live through.

What I don’t understand is why, with teams from 28 elementary schools present, the city couldn’t assign one or two police cars to sit at the end of the block or in front of the entrance for the duration of the event. “Security” was doing bag checks but I don’t even know if they were equipped to handle a weapon if they found one. (No blame to the security officers who were just doing their jobs but there should have been police on site.)

It reminds me a bit of the shooting at Potomac Ave, Metro a few years ago when the Metro worker was shot and killed. A group of elementary students were on the way to that metro for a field trip and fortunately we’re not there yet.
It was super scary thinking about what could’ve happened but also it seems like something that was hard to predict and would have been hard to prevent. From what I read in the news yesterday, the shots were fired from someone driving by in a car toward someone on the sidewalk correct? If there were police on the street, they would not have been stopping and inspecting cars and the security at the event would not have been able to prevent it either.

The amount of guns and frequency of use is terrifying and is the actual problem that is much more complex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When gunshots were first heard, the kids either took cover under the bleachers, ran into the lock room or bathroom, or took cover by a wall along the track. The track meet had not started yet. It was about to start in the next 15 minutes or so.

After the gunfire subsided, the kids were all brought out to the field to line up and get accounted for.

The West track meet had not started yet - the East track meet was on its last few events. The kids who were on the far side of the track lining up for the races were told by adults to run into the nearby trees. The adults present did as well as possible under the circumstances, but it was awful. The locker rooms and bathrooms were packed and many team members were separated from one another. It was an experience no kid or adult should have to live through.

What I don’t understand is why, with teams from 28 elementary schools present, the city couldn’t assign one or two police cars to sit at the end of the block or in front of the entrance for the duration of the event. “Security” was doing bag checks but I don’t even know if they were equipped to handle a weapon if they found one. (No blame to the security officers who were just doing their jobs but there should have been police on site.)

It reminds me a bit of the shooting at Potomac Ave, Metro a few years ago when the Metro worker was shot and killed. A group of elementary students were on the way to that metro for a field trip and fortunately we’re not there yet.
It was super scary thinking about what could’ve happened but also it seems like something that was hard to predict and would have been hard to prevent. From what I read in the news yesterday, the shots were fired from someone driving by in a car toward someone on the sidewalk correct? If there were police on the street, they would not have been stopping and inspecting cars and the security at the event would not have been able to prevent it either.

The amount of guns and frequency of use is terrifying and is the actual problem that is much more complex.

A car was trailing the victim. It stopped right in front of the track, 3 men got out and started shooting. I would like to think a police car within the block would have been a deterrent for them to choose another location, even if still nearby (although with the way of things the last few years, who knows). If what previous posters said is true about the frequency of violence in the area, then it isn’t that much of a stretch to realize police might be a good idea when bringing in 100s of kids to spend hours right out in a big open area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When gunshots were first heard, the kids either took cover under the bleachers, ran into the lock room or bathroom, or took cover by a wall along the track. The track meet had not started yet. It was about to start in the next 15 minutes or so.

After the gunfire subsided, the kids were all brought out to the field to line up and get accounted for.

The West track meet had not started yet - the East track meet was on its last few events. The kids who were on the far side of the track lining up for the races were told by adults to run into the nearby trees. The adults present did as well as possible under the circumstances, but it was awful. The locker rooms and bathrooms were packed and many team members were separated from one another. It was an experience no kid or adult should have to live through.

What I don’t understand is why, with teams from 28 elementary schools present, the city couldn’t assign one or two police cars to sit at the end of the block or in front of the entrance for the duration of the event. “Security” was doing bag checks but I don’t even know if they were equipped to handle a weapon if they found one. (No blame to the security officers who were just doing their jobs but there should have been police on site.)

What’s weird about this is that DPR usage fees shot through the roof for things like soccer clubs because of the new police requirements. Crazy they don’t require the same at DCPS events? Or do they and just didn’t have it this time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Color me shocked. DCPS always holds its citywide athletic events at the least safe, least central locations. Our ES basketball team needed a police escort to walk from the school to the bus after a recent playoff game. It's a recipe for a lawsuit.

That's where the DC State golf Championship match was held too.

All the swim meets, all of the track meets, many of the baseball and softball games are in the far eastern corner or Anacostia. I think it's a combo of where they build the nice facilities, what's convenient to DCIAA staff, and some weird desire to "stick it" to the west side of town.

They also want to keep a lot of the bad stuff that happens on the margins of a lot of high school sports- by which I mean gambling and the kind of people who show up to gamble, or find the people that are gambling- away from the west side of town. I think there’s a slight smidgen of wanting to stick it to west of 16th, but a whole lot of “we can’t let those people that far across the river.” Maybe I’m just jaded by years of coaching youth football, but stuff gets really, really sketchy.

Interesting. I was not aware of meaningful gambling on HS sports.

That's because it does not exist on a meaningful level, and it has exactly zero bearing on where DCPS holds its sporting events. Do people really think people are betting on elementary school track meets or high school baseball games that J-R always wins by mercy rule? Good lord.

There are far fewer students attending DC public schools in Wards 1-3 (and 6) compared to Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. https://edscape.dc.gov/page/pop-and-students-where-public-school-students-live?
Also, fewer actual schools https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1729531 . Not sure if that factors into it, but it makes sense to schedule the events closer to where more families live.

Yesterday's shooting is horrifying, and no child or family should ever have to go through that traumatic event. But the tone of this thread is getting a little off track. I have been to dozens of sports indoors and outside of middle schools, elementary schools and high schools in all wards, and while there may have been police or security at some games, I have never seen or needed teams getting escorts, or in any type of danger.

All cross country meets (ES, MS, and HS) Ward 7 and PG County
All indoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) PG County
All outdoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) Ward 7
All MS swim meets (except championship) Ward 7

DCIAA office Ward 7

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Color me shocked. DCPS always holds its citywide athletic events at the least safe, least central locations. Our ES basketball team needed a police escort to walk from the school to the bus after a recent playoff game. It's a recipe for a lawsuit.

That's where the DC State golf Championship match was held too.

All the swim meets, all of the track meets, many of the baseball and softball games are in the far eastern corner or Anacostia. I think it's a combo of where they build the nice facilities, what's convenient to DCIAA staff, and some weird desire to "stick it" to the west side of town.

They also want to keep a lot of the bad stuff that happens on the margins of a lot of high school sports- by which I mean gambling and the kind of people who show up to gamble, or find the people that are gambling- away from the west side of town. I think there’s a slight smidgen of wanting to stick it to west of 16th, but a whole lot of “we can’t let those people that far across the river.” Maybe I’m just jaded by years of coaching youth football, but stuff gets really, really sketchy.

Interesting. I was not aware of meaningful gambling on HS sports.

That's because it does not exist on a meaningful level, and it has exactly zero bearing on where DCPS holds its sporting events. Do people really think people are betting on elementary school track meets or high school baseball games that J-R always wins by mercy rule? Good lord.

There are far fewer students attending DC public schools in Wards 1-3 (and 6) compared to Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. https://edscape.dc.gov/page/pop-and-students-where-public-school-students-live?
Also, fewer actual schools https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1729531 . Not sure if that factors into it, but it makes sense to schedule the events closer to where more families live.

Yesterday's shooting is horrifying, and no child or family should ever have to go through that traumatic event. But the tone of this thread is getting a little off track. I have been to dozens of sports indoors and outside of middle schools, elementary schools and high schools in all wards, and while there may have been police or security at some games, I have never seen or needed teams getting escorts, or in any type of danger.

All cross country meets (ES, MS, and HS) Ward 7 and PG County
All indoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) PG County
All outdoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) Ward 7
All MS swim meets (except championship) Ward 7

DCIAA office Ward 7

Sometimes I am sure it is an issue of space that they are used to having available, etc. Also, the event yesterday is in Ward 5, and the cross country meets I have been at off of Bladensburg are also in/near Ward 5. If you look at a map it is actually pretty central if you have kids coming from all of the other wards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Color me shocked. DCPS always holds its citywide athletic events at the least safe, least central locations. Our ES basketball team needed a police escort to walk from the school to the bus after a recent playoff game. It's a recipe for a lawsuit.

That's where the DC State golf Championship match was held too.

All the swim meets, all of the track meets, many of the baseball and softball games are in the far eastern corner or Anacostia. I think it's a combo of where they build the nice facilities, what's convenient to DCIAA staff, and some weird desire to "stick it" to the west side of town.

They also want to keep a lot of the bad stuff that happens on the margins of a lot of high school sports- by which I mean gambling and the kind of people who show up to gamble, or find the people that are gambling- away from the west side of town. I think there’s a slight smidgen of wanting to stick it to west of 16th, but a whole lot of “we can’t let those people that far across the river.” Maybe I’m just jaded by years of coaching youth football, but stuff gets really, really sketchy.

Interesting. I was not aware of meaningful gambling on HS sports.

That's because it does not exist on a meaningful level, and it has exactly zero bearing on where DCPS holds its sporting events. Do people really think people are betting on elementary school track meets or high school baseball games that J-R always wins by mercy rule? Good lord.

There are far fewer students attending DC public schools in Wards 1-3 (and 6) compared to Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. https://edscape.dc.gov/page/pop-and-students-where-public-school-students-live?
Also, fewer actual schools https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1729531 . Not sure if that factors into it, but it makes sense to schedule the events closer to where more families live.

Yesterday's shooting is horrifying, and no child or family should ever have to go through that traumatic event. But the tone of this thread is getting a little off track. I have been to dozens of sports indoors and outside of middle schools, elementary schools and high schools in all wards, and while there may have been police or security at some games, I have never seen or needed teams getting escorts, or in any type of danger.

All cross country meets (ES, MS, and HS) Ward 7 and PG County
All indoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) PG County
All outdoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) Ward 7
All MS swim meets (except championship) Ward 7

DCIAA office Ward 7

Sometimes I am sure it is an issue of space that they are used to having available, etc. Also, the event yesterday is in Ward 5, and the cross country meets I have been at off of Bladensburg are also in/near Ward 5. If you look at a map it is actually pretty central if you have kids coming from all of the other wards.

I stand corrected.

All cross country meets (ES, MS, and HS) Ward 7 and PG County
All indoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) PG County
All outdoor track meets (ES, MS, and HS) across the street from Ward 7
All MS swim meets (except championship) Ward 7

[Anonymous]

They lined them up in the middle of the field after a shooting next to the field! JFC

[Anonymous]

Any word on who the victim or suspects are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any word on who the victim or suspects are?

With less words than you typed there, I got the answer on the google machine

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/05/20/dc-homicide-school-track-meet/

[Anonymous]

nothing will change in response to this, just as nothing has changed in response to the shootings that regularly occur around lots of schools in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:nothing will change in response to this, just as nothing has changed in response to the shootings that regularly occur around lots of schools in DC.

Which shootings are you referring to?

[Anonymous]

Any news on whether there will be a rescheduled championship track meet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any news on whether there will be a rescheduled championship track meet?

A group of parents and coaches are pressing DCPS to reschedule it at a different location.

WUSA-9 clip from Tuesday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LYcAwiGdhU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any news on whether there will be a rescheduled championship track meet?

A group of parents and coaches are pressing DCPS to reschedule it at a different location.

WUSA-9 clip from Tuesday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LYcAwiGdhU

Tell me your kid isn't having nightmares a week out without telling me your kids aren't having nightmares.

This was a big deal; bigger for some and not for others.

I do think we need to get back to normal; reclaim our grand etc but this is not the way to do it.

And by "group of parents" we mean 3 parents who have not a lot to do.