Nationals fans flee for safety after gunfire erupts outside park

Fans at a baseball game at National Park in Washington scrambled for safety Saturday night after gunfire erupted outside the venue.

The Metro Police Department Police tweeted that two people were shot outside the park. The game was suspended and rescheduled for Sunday.

Authorities said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

The sound of gunfire appeared to rock the park as the San Diego Padres led the Nationals 8-4. Fans started streaming out of the venue, and in some cases toward danger. Some took refuge in the bull pens of both teams.

At one point, a park announcer said, “You may now exit the stadium calmly.” The venue also announced that a shooting had taken place outside.

The Twitter account of Subhan Cheema, a member of the White House Covid-19 response team, criticized the venue for staying silent as people streamed out.

“It took way too long for you to communicate what fans should do,” he said. “Lots of commotion. No announcement for an extended period of time. I was 1 of the 1000s who ran *in the exact direction* of where you’re now saying the shooting took place. Because security told me to.”

Juliette Arcodia, Bill Feather and Janhvi Bhojwani contributed.

source: nbcnews.com