2 Teens Hurt in Shooting at High School Football Game

Two teen-agers were wounded Friday afternoon when gunfire erupted in the closing minutes of a football game between archrivals Dorsey and Crenshaw high schools.

Witnesses said 10 to 15 gunmen exchanged fire about 5:30 p.m. across the field at Jackie Robinson Stadium next to Dorsey, forcing players to drop to the ground and the crowd of 1,000 to flee the stands.

About five hours later, gunfire ended a game between Franklin and Lincoln high schools played at Roosevelt High School four minutes early. There were no injuries reported or arrests.

In the first game, Larry Bobo, a Dorsey tight end said, ‘I could see a lot of bullets hit the gates and grass go up on the field,.

“You could hear the bullets whizzing by you. I looked up and outside the gates (and) you could see guys . . . shooting while they walked away.”

Dorsey football coach Paul Knox said the shooting lasted for two to three minutes. “First, there was a large shot and then there were eight to 10 individual shots,” said Knox. “You could hear the bullets hitting the goal posts.”

The wounded teens, who were shot in the arms and legs, were being treated at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center and Kaiser Foundation Hospital in West Los Angeles, officials said. Police did not immediately identify the victims, but said they appeared to be students. Diana Munatones, a Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman, said one victim was from Palisades High School and the other was from another city school.

Dorsey, which was leading 28-12 when the shooting started 1 minute, 5 seconds before the end of the game, was declared the winner.

Sgt. J.J. Reese at the LAPD’s Southwest division said three youths were detained for questioning but later released.

With a history of violence as well as a sporting rivalry between the two southwest Los Angeles schools, officials had attempted to avoid an incident Friday by moving the game’s starting time up to 3 p.m. from the traditional 8 p.m. kickoff.

“We had heard something might happen,” said Knox.

Gunfire broke out at the start of a game between the schools two years ago. School officials said then that it appeared to be a battle between members of the Crips and Bloods gangs.

The threat of fan violence is so accepted that the coaches have developed contingency plans. In the event of gunfire, Knox had instructed players to “get into the middle of the field and get down.”

“I heard a car drive up and it sounded like a huge backfire,” said Byron Kimbrew, a Dorsey tackle. “There were a bunch of bullets flying and my first reaction was to get down. When bullets are flying, you just try to get down.”