Youth football league to resume schedule
Suspect is arrested in shooting of coach
Just two days after the coach of the East End Raiders youth football team was shot at a team practice in Mellon Park in Shadyside, coaches and parents of the Southwest Pennsylvania Athletic Initiative met to support the coach and say the games will go on as scheduled Saturday.
“The option is never to shut down. The only option is to come together, support one another and go on,” said Ayodeji Young, one of about 70 people, including several football coaches, parents and community leaders, attending a league strategy meeting Sunday afternoon at the Community Empowerment Association in Homewood.
The youth athletic league, which fields teams from seven city neighborhoods, canceled its Saturday games last week after the coach, Antoine Lester, 34, was shot three times by a man in a surgical mask who argued with Mr. Lester before chasing him onto the field where the
team of 7 to 10-year-olds was practicing.
After the shooting, which occurred at about 7 p.m., the suspect, identified as Anthony Lamont Hines, Jr., fled. However he was arrested without incident Sunday afternoon in Monroeville and taken to Allegheny County Jail.
None of the approximately 100 children were hurt in the shooting.
Mr. Lester, whose arm and chest wounds were not life threatening, was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon and attended the meeting, where he was greeted with a standing ovation and spoke to the gathering.
“I appreciated the reception and told them I was OK and everything will be fine and the football program needs to continue. All the teams will be back up and practicing this week,” Mr. Lester, who works as an Amazon delivery driver, said in a brief phone interview after the meeting.
He declined to talk about what Mr. Hines was arguing about, but shortly after the shooting said Mr. Hines took issue with his nephew playing on the team. Witnesses to the Friday evening shooting said police had been called to a previous practice because of Mr. Hines’ behavior.
Phylicia Tarpley, president of the youth football and cheerleading program that has between 1,200 and 1,500 participants, said before the meeting that it was “important to show the children we stand together.”
Tierah Williams, 26, whose 6-year-old son plays on the Baby Raiders, said the shooting gives a black eye to an organization that’s trying to do good things for Pittsburgh’s inner-city neighborhoods.
“We’re trying to build communities here,” Ms. Williams said. “The men in this organization are building these boys up, and are out there to help build the community, not take it down.”
She said her son was disappointed when last Saturday’s game was canceled.
Javona Harris, 26, whose 5year-old son plays for Wilkinsburg, said some city neighborhoods face serious problems from drugs, gangs and gentrification, but getting kids involved in sports starts them on a better path.
“This little league,” Ms. Harris said, “gives us something good to hold on to.”
Mr. Hines is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, police said. They are asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to call them at 412323-7800.