PONTIAC, Mich. (WWJ) — A 37-year-old man is in custody after a shooting during a youth football event left one man wounded and a woman injured at Wisner Stadium in Pontiac on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the stadium at just after 1:00 p.m. following reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, law enforcement found a 19-year-old Pontiac man suffering from a gunshot wound to the buttock.
Investigators learned that a 27-year-old Pontiac woman was also hit in the head with a handgun during the confrontation.
Witnesses pointed deputies toward a suspect who was walking away from the scene. They detained a 37-year-old Auburn Hills man and found a loaded 9mm handgun on him, as well as a spent casing nearby.
Deputies confirmed the suspect held a valid concealed pistol license and that the firearm was registered in his name. He was transported and lodged at the Oakland County Jail.
Detectives from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Pontiac Substation are leading the ongoing investigation into what triggered the dispute.
The 19-year-old shooting victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital and released later Sunday evening.
The incident forced an abrupt end to the day's events hosted by Pontiac Panthers Youth Football & Cheer. Officials from the youth organization and local leaders confirmed the altercation involved adults and was completely unrelated to the youth sports program or the visiting Orchard Lake Cardinals team.
No players or families from either team were physically injured.
"Taking a personal conflict and escalating it to shooting them is never acceptable," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement. "Even worse, doing it at an unrelated youth event. I look forward to the suspect being held fully accountable."
Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuinness noted on social media that all remaining games at Wisner Stadium were canceled for the day.
"The young athletes and their families didn’t do anything to deserve this new traumatic memory and to miss out on their athletic opportunities," McGuinness wrote, calling on the community to leave personal disputes away from public spaces.
The Board of Directors for Pontiac Panthers Youth Football & Cheer released a statement calling the event unprecedented in the organization's nearly 40-year history. Leadership stated they plan to review safety protocols alongside community partners ahead of future home games.
