Major League Baseball match in US suspended after shooting outside stadium

A Major League Baseball game between the San Diego Padres and Washington was suspended in the sixth inning Saturday night after police said a shooting had occurred outside the National Park.

Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said two people were shot. He said investigators believed one of the victims was a stadium employee based on preliminary information.

Washington police later tweeted that “two additional victims linked to the incident went to area hospitals to be treated for gunshot wounds.” More than two dozen police cars, ambulances and fire engines were on the road outside the third base side of the stadium and a police helicopter was hovering overhead.

The Padres had just entered the field for the bottom of the sixth when several loud noises were heard from the left side of the ballpark.

The fans sitting in the left field started coming out rapidly from the center field gate. A short time later, fans on the first base side began to rapidly relinquish their seats. Some fans crowded into the Padres’ dugout on the third base side for safety as sirens could be heard from outside the park.

Armaan Ramnath, 27, of Arlington, Virginia and a recent law school graduate, said he and a friend were sitting on the third base side of the stadium when they heard what sounded like fireworks.

“We weren’t sure what it was. Then everyone started ducking,” Ramnath said.

Ramnath said that he and his friend hid behind the seats for five or more minutes. After a while people got up and started leaving, he said, but stadium announcements told fans to wait. Eventually they were let go.

“It felt so surreal. I wasn’t really sure how to react,” Ramnath said. “I mean, you hear about it… but you never expect it to be something that May impress you.” The Nationals initially announced that an incident had occurred outside the stadium and posted a message on the scoreboard asking fans to stay inside the stadium.

About 10 minutes later, the team tweeted: “A shootout has been reported outside 3rd Base Gate at National Park. Fans are encouraged to exit the ballpark through the CF and RF gates at this time. When play stopped, the Padres took an 8-4 lead. It will resume on Sunday afternoon, followed by regularly scheduled play.

Fernando Tatis Jr. produced four hits for San Diego. Ryan Zimmerman made home for Washington.