CINCINNATI (WXIX) – New video obtained by FOX19 NOW shows the altercation that court records say preceded a shooting at a youth football game at Walnut Hills High School on Oct. 20.
A witness, who did not want to be identified, says players started to fight, and that is when a parent ran onto the field.
The witness tells FOX19 NOW that 29-year-old Lamont Ragan, the coach for the West End Elite Royals, walked onto the field to gather his players and was jumped.
Witnesses on Oct. 20 told police Ragan shot two adults after the fight broke out, according to Hamilton County court records.
A day after his arrest on Oct. 21, Ragan’s attorney told the court his client acted in self-defense for himself and the children.
The witnesses, who talked with FOX19 NOW, echoed that statement.
“He was going to get our players because it was escalating because a parent went on the field,” the witness said. ”Instead of taking accountability and going to grab your son, you went to start something else. All you had to do was grab your son, take your son off the field. The game was about to be over with.”
Ragan was not the only person with a gun, according to the witness.
“Everyone involved had a gun,” the witness claimed. ”We saw it with our own eyes.”
Ragan is facing two counts of felonious assault and a single count of discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises, Hamilton County court documents show.
Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Tyrone Yates set Ragan’s bond at $210,000 and ordered him to stay away from the victims.
“I think that everybody should be held accountable for their actions,” the witness said. ”He shouldn’t be the only one who is locked up. Everyone who was involved in that, who provoked the fight, who started the fight, consequences should be held against them also.”
The victims in the shooting were a coach and a parent, according to Milan Lanier with the Cincinnati United Youth Football & Cheer League.
One victim is in serious condition, the other is expected to be okay.
A grand jury is scheduled to review the evidence against Ragan for potential indictment on October 31.
Cincinnati United Youth Football & Cheer League leaders say they are working with Cincinnati police on a plan to enhance safety measures during games.
Part of the plan involves relocating the games from Cincinnati to Dayton and banning parents from being on the sidelines.
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