Gun Incident Prompts Plan For Better Security At Ball Field

An apparent gun-wielding man in the Goodman ball field parking lot is prompting the ball program’s officials to plan for better security.

Goodman ball program director Heith Lewis said officials are learning safety tips from the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office and are making safety a top priority.

The potentially dangerous incident in late May could have turned out completely different. Lewis is determined to have a better system in place and to undergo more training to keep ball-playing children and their parents safe.

Officials in the neighboring town of Southwest City even recently discussed the incident at a regular city council meeting. Aldermen

there also are concerned about security at their city’s ball field.

Goodman officials couldn’t believe the situation erupted so quickly.

On that particular day, rain had canceled play at all the other ballparks in the county, except for Goodman, Lewis said.

About 30 minutes before games started, two men began fighting in the parking lot. Lewis didn’t think much of it because, as time went by, it seemed like the situation had settled down.

About 30 minutes later, however, a woman approached Lewis. She told him her husband had a gun and said he wanted to use it.

Lewis is used to treating players for sprained ankles or overheating, or parents who get angry about a bad call. But he’s never had to handle a situation that might turn deadly.

“I thought, ‘What do I do?’” Lewis said.

Lewis quickly thought about his training for potential school shootings within the school district. But in an open ball field, he wasn’t quite sure how to keep everyone safe.

He gathered everyone together and wouldn’t let anyone go to the parking lot. Meanwhile, several dads positioned themselves as a shield between the parking lot and the crowd of folks.

Those in the crowd were worried and getting angry, confused why Lewis wasn’t letting anyone leave. Several thought a tornado was brewing.

Lewis finally told them about the situation’s specifics. People were then asked to cram into the buildings on the ball field’s grounds. Local police departments and the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office responded quickly, Lewis said.

Charges are not pending, and law enforcement officials do not have the suspect in question, Lewis said. In fact, officials have never found the suspect, he said.

As director for many years, Lewis has never encountered a situation so scary.

“It was unreal,” he said. Since then, several people have praised Lewis for his quick-thinking efforts to keep everyone safe.

He and others are anticipating taking more classes to increase safety and security at the ball field. Lewis plans to have a system in place, just for such scenarios. He also plans to have more parents involved, and more people to assist, should such an incident re-occur.

Sheriff’s officials also suggested volunteers have code words to use, without alerting a crowd of people or the suspect at hand.

“We’re going to have a better plan,” Lewis said.