Football: Banning players went to locker room after shooting on Tuesday

Banning football players had just finished film study and lifting weights. They were lining up outside on their field to begin practice on Tuesday. Then Coach John Aponte received a phone call.

“We got the call to lock down,” he said.

There was a shooting near the baseball field outside of campus.

Aponte took his players to the locker room, where they spent more than an hour waiting for the all-clear message.

“We did our best to keep the kids informed and the kids kept us informed,” he said.

An 18-year-old was killed and two other teens wounded in the shooting. According to KABC, a suspect was arrested Wednesday morning.

Aponte is a former Marine.

“I’ve got some kids who knew the young man who’s no longer with us,” he said. “As a Marine, it’s tough because the mission must go on.”

Asked what he tells his players, Aponte said, “You go home. You tell your parents you love them and you come out the next day and keep living. That’s how you fight terror.”

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