New Jersey Man Sentenced to 70 Years for Fatal Shooting at High School Football Game
A New Jersey man, Alvin Wyatt, has been handed a 70-year prison sentence after firing multiple shots into the stands during a high school football playoff game. This tragic incident resulted in the death of a 10-year-old spectator and left two others wounded. Wyatt, a 35-year-old resident of Atlantic City, was found guilty of murder and related charges in July and received his sentence on Monday. He had claimed self-defense as his motive when he opened fire at Pleasantville High School on November 15, 2019.
The shooting incident caused injuries to a man and two children, with young Micah Tennant sustaining a gunshot wound to his neck while attending the game with his mother and sister. Tragically, Tennant succumbed to his injuries five days later, just hours before the playoff game resumed at the Philadelphia Eagles stadium.
Authorities revealed that the injured man had been specifically targeted by Wyatt and was among those charged in the case. Wyatt was swiftly apprehended on the football field by a Pleasantville officer, who was part of the game’s security detail.
During the trial, it came to light that the man had previously shot at Wyatt approximately three weeks before this incident. Wyatt testified that he had met some friends at the game and was simply walking through the stands when he unexpectedly crossed paths with the man. According to Wyatt, the man threatened to shoot him, and upon seeing a gun in the victim’s waistband, he felt compelled to open fire in self-defense. Authorities confirmed that the victim, who has been wheelchair-bound since the shooting, did indeed possess a weapon but did not discharge it. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and a weapons charge.