A football coach at Vallejo High School in the San Francisco Bay Area was shot Tuesday after he tried to break up a fight. A fight among several students and “some unknown males” preceded the shooting. A school staff member broke it up, police said.
Joe Pastrana, the school’s defensive coordinator, was shot after some of the people involved in the fight got into a car and fired off shots while speeding off.
“Some of the involved subjects fled the area in a dark-colored sedan while shooting back toward the remaining group. The staff member was struck by at least one bullet and suffered a non-life-threatening injury,” Vallejo police said, via NBC News.
A California high school football coach was shot after breaking up a fight in front of the school … and the terrifying incident was caught on video. https://t.co/b77MdkcU4Y
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) September 15, 2022
Video obtained by KTVU-TV shows a group of three males walking away from the fight. As the camera pans away, gunshots are suddenly fired, prompting teenagers to scream and run away.
UPDATE: Video of fight outside Vallejo High, before one group took off in car & fired back toward 2nd group, hitting & wounding coach who had intervened in dispute. @VallejoPd investigating. ?: @VallejoCrime pic.twitter.com/5Pdkz9E3Qs
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) September 14, 2022
Vallejo High coach shot & wounded after breaking up fight between 2 groups, per @VallejoPd. The shooter(s), taking off in car, fired back at 2nd group, hitting the coach. School in session Wed w/extra security & police presence, per @VCUSD. ?: @VallejoCrime Viewer discretion pic.twitter.com/Jl5PA7agDh
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) September 14, 2022
The Times-Herald of Vallejo reported that Pastrana was shot in the hip. He was stable, the newspaper reported.
Vallejo football coach Mike Wilson III called off practice once he heard what happened.
“When we found out what happened all practices were canceled,” Wilson said. “When it was safe we told everyone to go home.”
