Cardinals Fan Sitting Behind Dugout Hit By Stray Bullet During Game

According to St. Louis police, a fan taking in a Cardinals game was hit by a bullet fired from outside the stadium during last night’s game against the Brewers. The fan was seated in Section 141 of the Cardinals’ stadium, which is located behind the home dugout. She complained about a sharp pain in her elbow and spoke to first aid personnel and the police, who say they found a slug located near her seat that appeared to have been fired from outside of the stadium. A witness described a rather gory scene to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Todd Porter, 54, of O’Fallon, Ill., was at the game with his 13-year-old son, Christopher, and was seated directly in front of the victim. She suddenly said, “Wow, I think I’ve been shot,” just as the eighth inning was coming to a close, Porter said.

“We thought she was joking, but everybody turned around and she showed me the blood coming down from her elbow,” Porter said. “It looked real purple and red and it looked like there was a hole in her jacket.”

Porter said he and his son left the game shortly afterwards, while the victim’s mother told the Post-Dispatch that she had hired an attorney. Police reportedly received calls of shots fired about a mile from the stadium around the same time and the fateful bullet may have landed in the stadium after someone shot in the air. The Cardinals released a statement acknowledging the incident:

We are aware of an incident last night in which a fan reported being struck by a stray bullet that presumably originated from outside of the stadium. The fan was treated for an abrasion and a bruise on her arm at First Aid and released. She was interviewed by police who are investigating the matter. There is nothing more important than the safety of our fans, and the Cardinals are grateful that no one was seriously injured. We will be sharing more information with the media as further details emerge.

H/t to Tim