Pittsburgh Boy, 9, Shot During Football Practice
Incident Occurred At City Park Tuesday
Updated: 9:08 a.m. EDT October 23, 2002

PITTSBURGH -- A 9-year-old boy was shot in the hip Tuesday evening while practicing with his youth football team in a park in the city's Beltzhoover section.

The boy was grazed between the hip and abdomen around 7:30 p.m., police said.

He was reportedly in fair condition at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Wednesday morning. He is expected to make a full recovery.

"No organs were punctured, it just brushed him," hospital spokesman Dean Walters said.

Police said there have been problems in the park before.

"It is not uncommon to hear shots or fireworks or whatever near McKinley (Park)," Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Tammy Ewin said. "Police often get calls from up there to respond to those things."

The shot was fired from a wooded area on the edge of the park, witnesses said.

There is no indication the incident is related to sniper shootings in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, police said.

The caliber or type of projectile has not been determined, Ewin said.

Police blocked off an area of several blocks around the park and began combing the woods with K-9 units, uniformed officers and detectives.

Police suspended the search around 10:30 p.m.

The shooting victim is a member of the Beltzhoover Browns, a peewee football team of 8- and 9-year-olds, said the team's coach, Dean Brown.

Brown said about 30 players and five coaches were on the field when he said they heard about four shots fired from a wooded area overlooking the football field.
WND

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