MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Parents of athletes who play in the Marion County Youth Football League were invited to speak with league officials and law enforcement on Wednesday.
The meeting comes a day after parents said a deputy shot and killed a man dangerously close to their children.
Nakeisha Strout said she was there when the shooting happened. She and parent Lindsey Gonzalez said officers fired their guns in the direction of their children.
“Everyone was running and screaming and just trying to get away,” Stroud said. “Everyone was leaving at the same time. That’s what made it so scary.”
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Gonzalez said she feared her child could have been shot.
“The truth is these kids were in danger. The bullet did not go towards Maricamp. The shooting didn’t happen two blocks away,” Gonzalez said.
Both parents also said they had heard false reports that the shooting occurred farther away from the large group of children.
Parents emphasized the maximum distance from the shooting was about 75 feet.
A coach in the league told News 6 he witnessed paramedics waiting several minutes before getting out of their vehicle and approaching the wounded man.
A 12-year-old boy named Noah said it was frightening to witness the man being shot and killed on his practice field.
“Still anxious, a lot of anxiety after the (incident),” the boy said.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said parents can reach out at any time for mental health resources.
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