Naomi Osaka Recounts Chilling Reactions After False Reports Of Active Shooter At Barclays Center
Tennis champion Naomi Osaka has detailed the horrific response to false reports of an active shooter early Sunday morning (May 29) that left fans in a panic during a boxing match at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
According to NBC News, 10 people were injured and taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a stampede erupted when patrons tried to flee for safety during the event. A loud noise was heard inside the sports arena center that hosted the Geronta Davis v. Rolando Romero boxing match that evening.
Osaka, who was present at the event, shared her accounts of what happened that night with a few posts on Twitter.
“I was just in the Barclays center and suddenly I heard shouting and saw people running, then we were being yelled at that there was an active shooter and we had to huddle in a room and close the doors, I was so f—ing petrified man,” the athlete wrote. “I really hope everyone made it out safely, since I’m tweeting this we made it out ok.”
Boxing reporter Ryan Songalia shared a video of the crowd running for cover on social media, tweeting: “Scary moment as crowds pour back into Barclays Center, my fear was a shooting but those fears proved unfounded.”
About 19,000 people, including Osaka and pop icon Madonna, were in attendance to watch the boxing match between undefeated lightweight champion Davis and Romero,The Washington Post notes. It's unclear whether Madonna was in the arena during the stampede.
The incident comes a week after a shooter in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two elementary school teachers on May 24 and just weeks after a shooter in Buffalo, New York, killed 10 people in a supermarket.
