A basketball game ended abruptly Saturday afternoon when 18-year-old Damon Miller was fatally shot at a recreation center. The gunman, who called himself Ace, ran south on Oak Street after the shooting and remains at large. Miller was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from two gunshot wounds to his chest. Paramedics were delayed due to a four-car crash a mile away. This was the second such shooting during a basketball game, apparently by the same gunman.
According to witnesses, Miller performed a celebratory dance after making a game-winning 3-point basket. When Ace told him to stop, Miller ignored him. Ace then pulled a small gun from his baggy shorts and fired two quick shots. As others backed away, Ace picked up the basketball, made a 3-pointer himself, performed a dance near the victim's head, and fled.
A police officer stated the suspect will face charges far more serious than "unsportsmanlike conduct" upon arrest. Eyewitnesses describe Ace as a white male, 5'11", about 200 pounds, with a small scar on his left cheek.
Local activists criticized the police for their slow response in searching for the suspect. One activist claimed, "You can bet if it was two white men shot by a black man, there'd be a policeman on every basketball court in town until he was caught."