10-year-old boy who was shot at high school football game dies

PHILADELPHIA — When the Philadelphia Eagles decided to host the remaining minutes of a New Jersey high school football game that was interrupted by gunfire last week, it was supposed to be a chance to write a new narrative: that violence would not win.

But the mood at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon was not primarily one of triumph, as news spread that earlier that day a 10-year-old boy, Micah Tennant, one of three people injured in the shooting, had died.

“I was shocked,” said Dashahn Draper, 16, a guard on the Camden High School team, who heard about the death in the locker room just before the game. “He was young. Football is supposed to bring people together. This shouldn’t happen.”

A few hundred people who attended Wednesday’s game in the cavernous pro football stadium — some friends, some family, a few school administrators — held a moment of silence for Micah. For some attendees, that was the first time they had heard about Micah’s death.

He was a spectator at the playoff game at Pleasantville High School on Friday. Camden High School was ahead, 6-0, when, just before 8:30 p.m., with 17 minutes remaining in the game, the shooting unfolded, sending spectators and players scrambling for safety.

Five people were initially charged in connection with the shooting. And on Wednesday, the Atlantic County prosecutor, Damon G. Tyner, said in a statement announcing Micah’s death that one of the five men was now being charged with murder.

The man, Alvin Wyatt, was already facing two counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Wyatt served more than two years in prison for unlawful weapons possession and was on parole after being released about a year ago.

Friday’s shooting also injured a 27-year-old man, who police believe was the intended target, and a youth was grazed by a bullet, the authorities said. The sequence of events was captured on video by local news media covering the game.

In a statement Wednesday, Tyner said: “On behalf of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, we would like to express our sincere condolences to the Tennant family on the tragic passing of Micah. Words at this time seem so insufficient to portray the anger and outrage that our community feels regarding his loss.”

Late Tuesday night, Micah’s mother, Angela Tennant, posted on her Facebook profile thanking people for their support. “Everyday I talk in his ear and say Dew you’re so loved and famous,” she said in the post.

Some people at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday learned about Micah’s death shortly before the game, which had many of the features of any regular high school football game, including a band and cheerleaders on the sidelines. The Pleasantville team learned about the death that morning, around 11 a.m., from its coach.

Some players had written Micah’s name on their helmets and shirts.

Camden defeated Pleasantville in the game, 22-0, scoring 16 points during the 17 minutes played Wednesday.

Hours before the game, Carson Wentz, the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback, met with the high school players and praised the Eagles’ decision to host the two high school teams. He said it was “really cool to see the organization step out and reach out to try to make a difference.”

“You know,” he said, “it’s Friday night lights, it’s something that kids just dream about playing in, and it’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, is playing Friday night lights.”

He added, “It might not undo what’s happened, but just try and bring some joy and get all those families to keep moving forward.”