A 17-year-old was killed in a shooting that took place at Independence High School at 8001 Old River Road in Bakersfield in California, on August 21, during an ongoing football game there. The Bakersfield Police Department said they were investigating the shooting on Friday night.
“We are at Independence High School for a shooting investigation. There is no active shooter, but we ask that the community stay out of the area while officers conduct an investigation,” they noted.
Here's what happened at Independence High School.
The shooting took place during a football game between Independence High School and Centennial High School. An Independence staff member told local channel Eyewitness News that a fight had broken out.
Then, one person was shot in the chest. No details on the suspect has been released yet. The identity of the victim has not been released either.
“Media staging will be outside of main gates of the Independence High School football field,” cops noted.
Meanwhile, scary videos emerged from the scene of the shooting.
“Possible shooting at independence high school look for your kids!,” one person wrote.
Sirens could be heard in the distance. Another clip showed massive police presence there.
“Check on y'all kids and family members... Shooting at Independence High School,” a person wrote. Yet another said “Shooting at Independence High. My son’s ok. Check on your people if they are there.”
A video from the football field was also shared online. An ambulance could be seen in the clip.
“Independence vs Centennial football game tonight had multiple reports of gun shots. Bakersfield Police Department is on scene,” the page noted.
Clips on X also appeared to show the exact moment the shot had been fired at Independence High School.
Another clip showed people attempting to rush out of the football game after shots rang out.
Additional clips captured the chaos and fear among attendees of the football game at Independence High in the aftermath of the shooting.
Bakersfield Christian High School football team and Faith Lutheran High School joined together to pray during the halftime of their game, amid the shooting at Independence High School Friday night, as per a local report.
The shooting came as numerous high schools had their first football game.
Many also reacted to the shooting reports at Independence High School. “Kids HS was shot at during a football game. I’ve thought my kids to hide, evade and escape during things like this. Glad my son and friends were able to get out safely. Parents please allow our law enforcement and ems to do their jobs and secure and clear the area. Yes it’s scary but allow them to do the job. Praying everyone is safe and well at the stadium,” one wrote.
The Daybreak Baptist Church added “There was a shooting tonight at the Independence Football game. Many of our youth group students were in attendance. Lord Jesus, help our city.”
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More