Argument Escalates Into Shooting at Texas High School Football Game

Police said that an argument between two adults escalated into a shooting at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, on Sept. 27, Carrollton Police Department stated.

Hebron High School was playing against Irving Nimitz at Hebron High School on the night of Sept. 27.

During the third quarter of the junior varsity football game, two men sitting in the home stands were arguing.

When they took the argument to the parking lot, the 47-year-old Carrollton man allegedly drew his gun and fired at the 31-year-old Forth Worth man. The victim was shot in the upper chest at approximately 8:38 p.m.

The victim was in critical condition and transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, but is expected to survive. Authorities said that he is cooperating with law enforcement and doesn’t wish to file charges against the attacker.

According to a Carrollton police statement, many witnesses have taken the side of the 47-year-old man, saying that he acted in self-defense.

The shooter was arrested and taken to the police department and eventually released from custody pending a grand jury review of the events to decided whether he should face criminal charges.

Officials said that no students were involved in the conflict and no other injuries were reported.

The identities of the two men have not been released and the investigation is ongoing.

“We’re still piecing together what their association with the game was,” Carrollton Officer Jolen DeVito said, Star-Telegram reported.

Nonfatal Firearm-Related Crime Falling Significantly

If the victim survives and criminal charges are pressed against the 47-year-old man, then it would come under nonfatal firearm-related crime, which has been falling significantly over the years, the National Institute of Justice reported.

According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, nonfatal firearm-related crimes have fallen from 1.3 million incidents in 1994 to 330,000 in 2008. But rose to 400,000 in 2011.

In 2011, for every 100,000 Americans ages 12 and older, 2,354 were victims of nonfatal gun crime compared to 7,976 in 1993.

Most Americans Believe Gun Crimes Have Risen

Although statistics are saying that gun crime has declined, most Americans believe otherwise.

According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans do not know that gun crimes have fallen to a much lower point than where they were around 20 years prior. They said that, even though there is a lot of attention on gun crime issues.

A survey by the Pew Research Center discovered that 56 percent of Americans believe that gun crime is higher than it was 20 years ago. Only 12 percent said it was lower and 26 percent said it’s still the same, and 6 percent said they didn’t know.

Why the Decline?

The statistics are saying that gun crime is decreasing, there are many theories but there is still no consensus on why.

Yet, the Pew Research Center said there is consensus on one factor that caused gun crimes to drop—demographics.

In the ‘60s and ’70s, there was a bulge of baby boomers in the high-crime age range of 15 to 20 years old.

As the young boomers got older during the ‘80s, gun crime decreased but there was sharp uptick when the demand for crack cocaine increased.

It’s also noted that younger people who worked for drug traffickers were more willing to use guns.

By the 1990s, the market for crack cocaine started to recede as the economy improved and low-skilled young people could look for jobs instead of making a living off crime.