BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Hueytown Mayor Steve Ware says he was highly concerned Friday night when he found out shots were fired outside of a Hueytown High School basketball game as students and fans were leaving.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says students were in an altercation when one of them called adult family members. Law enforcement says 30-year-old Eunethia Shackleford was one of the relatives who showed up and fired shots in the air. She left the scene with the children, but was later arrested. She’s facing charges of attempted murder and bringing a deadly weapon on school property.
Mayor Ware says he was upset about it all weekend, but is grateful no one was injured. This was the second shooting in Hueytown last week, and he is working to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“I’ve lived here all my life and won’t let anyone try to damper the city,” said Ware. “Hueytown is a welcoming community, but criminals are not welcomed here, and if you’re going to come here and do something like that, you’re not going to stay.”
Ware says he plans to work with law enforcement and Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin to develop more preventative safety measures.
“It’s a community event where people can come and enjoy the activity. It’s a time off for everyone, but it is also a time of togetherness, and to support your local school with your community pride and to have someone violate that and put us in the state of mind – that is dangerous and unfair,” said Gonsoulin.
Although no one was injured, Gonsoulin says the situation should’ve been handled differently.
“People are there to enjoy themselves and celebrate the children participating in the event to build community pride,” says Gonsoulin. “Right in the area where that incident happened, we had principals, assistant principals, SROS standing within feet of the incident. That adult could’ve gone to either one of those people and would’ve gotten a better result.”
Ware says this is a call for action for him and other city leaders.
“There’s a consequence to every decision you make, be it good or bad,” said Ware. “You need to really think long and hard about doing something like that. I’ve talked to our police chief, going over different statistics that we want to look at. I talked to Dr. Gonsoulin on Saturday, and we had a lengthy conversation. He is just as concerned as I am.”
Ware says they are also working with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department as this investigation continues. Still, he also has plans to meet with District Attorney Lynneice Washington on Tuesday.
He will share details of those conversations at the next city council meeting on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.
Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.
Copyright 2024 WBRC. All rights reserved.