The Waller County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office arrested three men who allegedly shot a baseball coach during a pregame prayer, according to witnesses. The coach was shot during a barrage of gunfire from a nearby field shortly before the start of a little league baseball game at a park located northwest of Houston.
Houston Warriors founder Andy Baize told KHOU that the coach was saying a pregame prayer when he was struck by gunfire coming from a nearby field, KHOU CBS 11 reported. Witnesses say the gunfire came from three men who were allegedly “target practicing” from 700 yards away. There does not appear to be any gun range or protective burms located on the property adjacent to The Rac baseball park.
Baize said the coach was protecting one of the children when he was shot in the shoulder during the 20-minute barrage of gunfire. “He literally took the bullet for a child that was to his left, and so thankfully we avoided a major disaster. Still very, very emotional over it,” Baize told the KHOU 11 reporter.
Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry announced the arrest of three men on charges of deadly conduct — discharge of a firearm. The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas with a punishment range of two to ten years. The sheriff identified the men and charges as:
Mahmood Abdelsalam Rababah, 23
Charge: Deadly Conduct – Discharge of a Firearm (Felony)
Bond: $100,000 (Surety Bond)
Status: Pre-Trial, Active BondAhmad Mawed, 21
Charge: Deadly Conduct – Discharge of a Firearm (Felony)
Bond: $100,000 (Surety Bond)
Status: Pre-TrialMustafa Mohammad Matalgah, 27
Charge: Deadly Conduct – Discharge of a Firearm (Felony)
Bond: $100,000 (Surety Bond)
Sheriff Guidry reported that the three suspects discharged weapons from a nearby pasture in the direction of the baseball field. He confirmed the injury to the coach, who was transported by Life Flight to Memorial Herman Hospital in nearby Houston.
Fox 26 Houston reported that one of the mothers expressed concern over safety following the shooting incident and said “I can assure you we will not be going back to The Rac Katy, probably not The Rac Waller either.”
She added, “I know that from start to finish, when the bullets were close and flying by on our field to the end of the round was 20 minutes. That is way too long.”
Texas Colts player told Fox 26’s Ronnie Marley:
So I was by myself because I was about to pitch, so I was walking out of the dugout getting my stuff and then probably five feet after I walk out the dugout, all I hear is shots fired,” said Colton Bierman, a player with the Texas Colts. “I didn’t know the shots were coming from the forest. I thought it was an active shooter, so I start hiding.
Teammate Miles Ermel added, “I was just going to the dugout drinking water and I just heard one of my coaches say ‘duck down’ so I just ran behind the dugout and hid behind a brick wall, so I didn’t get shot.”
Coach Corbin Geizendorf said, “It was like Afghanistan.” Fellow coach Alex Smith said, “They are 12. We weren’t really worried about us in the moment. It was, How do we get these kids down and out behind a brick wall?”
The owners of The Rac initially issued the following statement:
This morning, during a baseball game, an unfortunate incident occurred involving recreational shooting on a nearby property. The local police department was immediately notified of the possible illegal hunting and responded to the scene in an effort to locate and apprehend the individuals involved.
During this time, a coach was struck in the shoulder. On-site medical personnel provided immediate care, and he was transported to the hospital for furhter treatment. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as he receives treatment for his injuries.
The police have since apprehended the individuals in question. We are taking every single step possible to ensure this does not happen again on our property. Any future practices or games at the facility are at a pause until law enforcement and our internal investigation has been completed to ensure the safety of all that visit the facility.
The statement was later updated to read:
We want to acknowledge the seriousness of the incident that occurred this morning at our facility. Our first statement was meant to provide timely and factual updates.
The safety and well-being of our players, families, coaches, staff, and community is our top priority. We are deeply shaken by what happened, and our focus remains on supporting the coach who was injured, his family, and everyone who was affected.
We are working closely with law enforcement and conducting our own internal review. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. All activities have been suspended for now.
We are grateful for the response of local authorities, the medical team on site, and the outpouring of care from our community.
Waller County jail records obtained by Breitbart Texas show the three men remain in jail pending $100,000 bonds.
Breitbart Texas requested comment from Sheriff Troy Guidry and Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore, but neither responded immediately.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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