KATY, TX — Three men are facing felony charges after their recreational target shooting in a nearby pasture sent stray bullets flying through a youth baseball tournament on Sunday, injuring a coach and sending terrified children and parents scrambling for cover.
The Waller County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged Mahmood Abdelsalam Rababah, 23, Ahmad Mawed, 21, and Mustafa Mohammad Matalgah, 27, in connection with the incident. The 27-year-old coach who was shot has since been released from the hospital.
"Bullets Flying Everywhere"
The chaotic scene unfolded around 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 21, at The Rac baseball complex in Katy. Players and coaches from the Texas Colts and other teams were on the fields when they began hearing gunshots.
“Once we started hearing that whistling, it was kind of confusing. ’Cause you’re like, there’s no way we’re at a baseball field right now,” said Corbin Geisendorff, an assistant coach for the Texas Colts. “There were bullets flying everywhere. It wasn't one shot... It's just unbelievable.”
Video of the incident shows the frantic moments as adults guided children to safety. "I had to legit bear crawl to my mom on my arms," said 11-year-old player Colton Bierman.
Amid the panic, a 27-year-old coach on a neighboring field was struck in the shoulder by a stray round. Geisendorff described how another person at the scene used a belt as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding before the coach was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition. He was released later the same day.
Arrests and Community Backlash
On Wednesday, the Waller County Sheriff’s Office announced that all three suspects were in custody. Each has been charged with Deadly Conduct — Discharge of a Firearm, with bond set at $100,000 per person. Authorities stated they do not believe the shooting was targeted at the baseball field but was the result of reckless behavior.
The incident has sparked outrage among parents, who have raised serious safety concerns. Several coaches noted that they had heard distant gunfire the day before, but Sunday's shots were dangerously close.
“I can assure you we will not be going back to The Rac Katy,” said one mother whose son was on the field. “Overwhelmingly, consensus was, 'I don't want to go back to that place. That's where guns are.'"
In response, The Rac has suspended all future practices and games at the facility pending the completion of both a law enforcement investigation and its own internal review to "ensure the safety of all that visit."
