Washington Nationals Manager Davey Martinez spoke to the media about Saturday night’s shooting outside Nationals Park.
“As you all know, this is not just us,” Martinez said. “It’s happening everywhere… I love this city. This city is my home. It can get crazy. We all know that and we all want to feel safe. I can tell you that inside this ballpark I feel safer than ever. I really do. We care about each other, we don’t want anybody getting hurt. For me yesterday, I tried to protect as many people as possible.”
At around 9:30 pm Saturday, shots were fired between two vehicles near the Third Base Gate at Nationals Park, resulting in the wounding of three adults during a Washington Nationals game against the San Diego Padres, according to officials.
One of the victims was reportedly a woman who was caught in the crossfire after attending the game. The sound of the gunshots caused panic among the players and fans.
Martinez said he tried to calm his players down and told them to focus on the game, and he left the stadium at 12:30 am Sunday to gather his thoughts. The game was postponed.
Only one day before the incident, the District lost a six-year-old girl, Nyiah Courtney, to gun violence. Five adults, including her mother, were injured in the drive-by shooting.
“Our city is heartbroken,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said in response to the tragedy.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said on Monday it recovered the vehicle involved in the girl’s fatal shooting burned.
DC Police Find Car Linked to Shooting Death of Six-Year-Old Girl