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Park Shootings Cancel Youth Football Practice

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 13, 2008

TAMPA - A youth football league has canceled practice for the week at a city park after a shooting there Monday that wounded two teenagers, the league's executive director said.

Orlando Gudes, executive director of the Unity Youth Football Conference, said none of the league's players was involved in the shooting, which occurred about 8 p.m. Monday at Fair Oaks Park.

But practice has been canceled because of the police investigation, Gudes said.

Tampa police are looking for whoever fired into the crowd on the basketball courts at 5019 N. 34th St., wounding Arnold Montgomery, 19, and Octavious Laundry, 18, both of whom live nearby.

Montgomery, 19, was listed in critical condition Tuesday at Tampa General Hospital. Police said he was shot in the stomach.

Laundry, 18, was discharged from the hospital after being treated for a gunshot wound to the leg, police and hospital officials said.

Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said the shooting occurred after a group of about eight teens were walking north on 34th Street when they passed another group of teens inside the park.

The second group was hanging out, leaning on the fence that separated the basketball courts from the street, Davis said.

She said words were exchanged between the groups.

Three teens from the group on 34th Street pulled out handguns, and two fired into the crowd on the basketball courts, striking Montgomery and Laundry, Davis said.

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