Shots Fired At SW OKC Youth Soccer Game Sends Bystander To Hospital

A youth soccer game in southwest Oklahoma City turned violent over the weekend after police said a fight broke out among the adults attending the game. 

Monday, February 20th 2023, 4:12 pm

By: Jennifer Pierce


-

A youth soccer game in southwest Oklahoma City turned violent over the weekend after police said a fight broke out among the adults attending the game. 

One man was sent to the hospital with a gunshot injury.  

A Sunday afternoon at soccer fields near Southwest 22nd and Western Avenue was interrupted by gunfire.

“It was just so fast,” Elizabeth Ortiz, a witness, said. “Everything happened so fast.”

Ortiz watched the violence unfold from the sidelines. 

The witness said 25-year-old Melbin Gonzales-Vasquez became angry when one of the soccer players accidently ran into his young child who was not playing.

“Everyone tried to calm him down saying it was an accident, it happened you know?,” Ortiz said. “But why put your kid on the side if that's going to happen? You never know what’s going to happen.”

Instead, Gonzales-Vasquez made it clear he had a gun and caused the crowd to panic.

“He yelled ‘I have a gun’ and fired at least one shot and struck an innocent bystander,” Msgt. Gary Knight, with the Oklahoma City Police Department, said. “The person was not involved in the fight.”

The victim was taken to the hospital for a non-life threatening injury.

Police said the accused shooter took off, but a parent was able to get the man's car tag. Police tracked Gonzales-Vasquez down at his home where he was arrested.

The accused shooter was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on one complaint of aggravated assault. 

He has not been formally charged by the district attorney’s office.

Jennifer Pierce

Jennifer Pierce is an Emmy-award-winning reporter for News 9 and has been on staff since 2017. While most days, she covers crime in the metro and court cases, she enjoys telling the stories of Native Americans in Oklahoma. Jennifer is a proud member of the Choctaw Nation. She takes pride in the success her tribe and the many other tribes in Oklahoma have gained in recent years.

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

February 20th, 2023

November 18th, 2024

November 10th, 2024

November 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

February 21st, 2025

February 21st, 2025

February 21st, 2025

February 21st, 2025