Woodward student athlete injured in shooting during North College Hill game

NORTH COLLEGE HILL, Ohio — A Woodward University student-athlete was injured in a shooting during the school's football game in North College Hill Friday night, Cincinnati Public Schools said.

The football game between North College Hill and Woodward was halted minutes before the end of the first half after shots were fired near the stadium, the North College Hill coach confirmed to WCPO.

A WCPO crew arriving at the scene found patrol cars and police tape cordoning off the area near North College Hill Elementary School, which is right next to the stadium.

CPS later confirmed that a Woodward student-athlete was injured in the shooting, but the district did not disclose whether the student played football or another sport.

“Cincinnati Public Schools is aware of this tragic event and our support continues to be with the student, his family, friends and the school community,” the CPS statement said. “The CPS Crisis Response Team will be on site to assist students as they return to school on Tuesday.”

This is the second time this month that a football game in North College Hill has been abruptly ended due to a shooting in the area.

“Once again, we are dealing with outside forces that have nothing to do with the North College Hill City School District … creating a terrible situation, so I am saddened,” North College Hill Superintendent Eugene Blalock said after Friday's shooting.

This was North College Hill's first game since gunfire in the area ended its game against Cincinnati Country Day on Sept. 6. At the time, police said someone fired 10 shots near an apartment complex on Bising Avenue across from the stadium. The game was halted and the stadium evacuated when police arrived on the scene. No one was injured in that incident.

The following week, North College Hill's next opponent, Miami Valley Christian Academy, canceled and stated they would not travel to the area for the game. The school also announced that their home game against Summit Country Day School had been moved to a different date and time, from Friday night to Saturday morning.

Blalock said the crowd on Friday was “huge,” with the community coming together to support their student-athletes and “show them that they are worthy and that we believe in them.”

“And for that to happen again, the second football game in a row in the community, we have to try harder,” Blalock said.

He said that in his opinion it is about “more than just athletics”.

“Our students played hard and won the game, but who thinks about football now?” Blalock said. “So now we have traumatized children, and the trauma continues. If I were a parent, I honestly don't know if I would allow my child to come to another game.”

The superintendent confirmed that Friday's game will be the last game this year on the field: “I'm not going to put anyone's life in danger and I don't want another school to feel like they're doing something wrong by trying to protect their children.”