Nationals-Padres game suspended after shooting outside Nationals Park

Tom Gatto

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Nationals-Padres game suspended after shooting outside Nationals Park image

Saturday night's game in Washington between the Nationals and Padres was suspended after a shooting took place outside the stadium.

The game was halted in the middle of the sixth inning. It will resume at 1:05 p.m. ET Sunday, followed by the regularly scheduled game.

Reporters covering the game tweeted that they heard what sounded like gunshots before the stoppage. Field microphones for the Nationals' television and radio broadcasts picked up audio of what sounded like shots.

As fans moved rapidly from their seats to stadium exits and other fans took cover in the stands, the stadium's public address announcer told the sellout crowd that there was an incident outside and to remain in the park. The Nationals later announced the shooting took place outside the third-base gate at the stadium.

The park was cleared shortly after 10 p.m. ET.

Metropolitan Police in D.C. tweeted that officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 1500 block of South Capitol Street SW, outside the stadium. They initially reported that two people were shot and two other people "associated" with the shooting walked into area hospitals with gunshot wounds. Police later said that just three people had been shot and that the two who walked into the hospital were taken into custody.

The Washington Post reported (subscription required) that a woman found wounded outside the stadium. The gunshot wounds are all believed to be non-life-threatening, the Post also reported.

Police said early Sunday (per the Post) that they believe people in one car shot at another car. The incident was not related to the game, police added. A motive has not been determined.

A video montage of the chaotic early moments in the stadium:

Padres players, including Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, ushered fans out of the stands and into the dugout and clubhouse for safety.

Nationals personnel did the same for fans in the first-base stands.

This article has been updated.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.