Gunfire reported at youth football event in Sarasota

Reported gunfire on the campus of a Sarasota County high school last weekend had nothing to do with school activities and instead was connected to an athletics event organized by an outside organization, the school’s principal wrote.

Jamal Crook, the principal of Sarasota’s Booker High School, posted a message late Sunday on Instagram explaining the Saturday afternoon incident “involved an outside organization that had rented Booker High School’s athletic facilities. This was not a Booker High School event and was not affiliated with our students, staff or any school-sponsored activity.’’

Sarasota Police said they responded to the campus around 2:20 p.m. Saturday on a report of shots fired. No injuries were reported, the police said, adding the case remained under investigation and that officers think there are witnesses who have yet to come forward with information.

Crook wrote the school was cooperating fully with police and “will continue to evaluate the use of our facilities to ensure they remain safe places for our students, staff and community.’’

A Facebook post indicated four preseason youth football games between the New Manatee Broncos and the Sarasota Seminoles were scheduled at the high school’s athletics field, with kickoffs between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

A Facebook post from Sarasota Seminoles Youth Football & Cheer, also posted Sunday, said the incident “was not affiliated with or representative of the Sarasota Seminoles, our players, our coaches, our parents or the purpose of this event. The actions of a few individuals do not reflect who we are or the values we work to instill in our athletes every day.’’

Anyone with information or video from this event is asked to call the Sarasota Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 941-915-4307 or Sarasota Crime Stoppers at 941-366-TIPS (8477).