Varsity high school football games in western Contra Costa County will now be starting early and school officials plan to restrict student attendance after three people were shot Friday night near a game in Richmond, school district officials said.
Police were responding to a fight in the 3300 block of Morningside Drive, about a block from De Anza High School, around 9:20 p.m., when shots rang out.
Two teens who suffered gunshot wounds were transported to a hospital. Another showed up at the hospital later on their own.
As a result, the district's varsity games will start at 5 p.m. Friday, and junior varsity games will take place on Thursdays. All spectators will have to be seated, and students attending without student identification will have to be accompanied by an adult.
The new rules go into effect this week.
While updating the Community Police Review Commission Wednesday evening about ongoing criminal investigations, Richmond's Interim Police Chief Bisa French reported there's a standing rivalry between De Anza High School's team and the team from Pinole Valley High School, who were playing each other last Friday.
"There were several fights that broke out during the course of the evening, mostly involving young females," French said.
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Not everyone involved was a student from either high school, however, according to French.
"There was a group that was leaving the game and that's when the shots rang out. Officers had already started toward the front of the school because people were leaving," she said.
Police are following up on leads, including a number of cellphone videos they hope will help confirm the identity of a suspect.
"Hopefully we can get somebody to talk," French said.
