‘I Couldn’t Be More Proud’: Padres Manager Tears Up After Players Took Fans into Dugout with Active Shooter Outside Nats Park

A terrorizing scene unfolded Saturday night, when a shooting outside Nationals Park in Washington D.C. caused the sound of gunfire to echo inside the ballpark.

The game between the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals was suspended in the sixth inning. Minimal information was available at the time, and after players were removed from the field, fans begin to scramble in search of safety, many of them running onto the field and into the dugouts.

Before the game resumed Sunday morning, Padres manager Jayce Tingler spoke about the incident and expressed admiration for his players after they helped lead panicked fans to safety.

“I couldn’t be any more proud to be a Padre,” Tingler said, pausing to wipe tears from his eyes. “To be with the men in there and obviously they are going out and thinking of their loved ones and they’re getting their families, and then it’s just human nature. They’re seeing fans and seeing people in panic, they did the right thing.”

“They thought maybe the dugout could have been the safest place,” Tingler added. “And they led and welcomed and guided people in there, I couldn’t be more proud.”

The Nationals initially posted a statement asking fans to remain inside the stadium while the situation outside of the ballpark was being monitored. Later, the Nationals issued another statement saying, “Fans are encouraged to exit the ballpark via the CF and RF gates at this time. We’re working with law enforcement to provide more information as soon as it becomes available.”

Three people suffered non-life threatening injuries after gunshots were exchanged between two vehicles outside the stadium. Two occupants from one of the vehicles received gunshot wounds. A fan suffered the third injury, after being grazed by a bullet while crossing a nearby street.

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