Josh Benton was out getting popsicles after his son s baseball game and putting the gear in the car, parked near the basketball courts, when he and his family heard gunshots erupt at Long Leaf Park.
He said he got down on the ground and covered his son while his wife was putting their two-year-old daughter in her car seat and laid on top of her to protect her.
Benton said at least three bullets hit the tree right behind him. A lot of people were running around everywhere, Benton said.
Both the New Hanover County Sheriff s Office and Wilmington Police Department responded to the scene after the shooting happened around 7 p.m. on May 5 near the park s basketball courts.
Patrol of parks increases following Long Leaf shooting
NHCSO Statement on Long Leaf Shooting By Jack Gallop | May 7, 2021 at 8:25 AM EDT - Updated May 7 at 10:09 AM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Law enforcement presence at parks in Wilmington will be increased beginning Friday.
Following Wednesdayâs shooting at Long Leaf Park, New Hanover County Sheriffâs Office announced Thursday that patrol of parks will be increased.
New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon released the following statement Thursday night:
âLast nightâs event was a tragic event for everyone involved. Any and all shootings are terrible and certainly made worse when they involve the innocent lives of our children at large gatherings. I am committed to providing a safe environment at all of our county parks. Beginning today I have increased patrols of the parks. I have also added two Deputies to be present during the Little League functions. As for the investigation we continue to investigate a
I ve never seen anything like this.
Wilmington Police Department Chief Donny Williams expressed his shock as he stood behind a table covered with 52 confiscated guns at a press conference on Monday.
Those guns are just some of the firearms that have been seized in the last 30 days in the city of Wilmington. Police have confiscated a total of 91 guns in Wilmington since Feb. 6, and the New Hanover County Sheriff s Office has seized another 45, Williams said.
“It has become almost a nightly occurrence for our officers and deputies to encounter an armed individual when they’re out doing their jobs,” he added.