3 suspects charged in shooting that injured coach at Texas youth baseball game

Three men, ages 21, 23 and 27, charged with Deadly Conduct after shots spray baseball field, striking 27-year old coach

A screenshot shows coaches and players beginning to run for cover as shots rang out prior to a 12U baseball game at The Rac in Katy, Texas last Sunday morning. / screenshot from GAMECHANGER

Authorities have arrested three men in connection with the shooting that wounded a youth baseball coach during a Sunday morning, Sept. 21, game at the Ameripark complex, also known as The Rac, in unincorporated Katy.

The incident happened just before a scheduled youth baseball game when shots rang out from a nearby property. A 27-year-old coach was struck in the shoulder and airlifted to a Houston hospital. He has since been released.

The three suspects were identified by the Waller County Sheriff's office as Mahmood Abdelsalam Rababah, 23, Ahmad Mawed, 21 and Mustafa Mohammad Matalgah, 27. All three have been charged with Deadly Conduct – Discharge of a Firearm, a felony in Texas. Each is being held on a $100,000 bond.

If convicted, the charge carries a possible sentence of two to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

What investigators say happened

Law enforcement officials believe the men were firing weapons from a pasture or nearby property prior to and while the youth event was about to get underway. Investigators say the shots were intended for target practice in the vicinity, not directed at the players or spectators, but instead endangered those on the fields.

Video from the scene showed a chaotic scene. As players were still on the field taking infield warmups, coaches from both teams met with the umpires at home plate to exchange lineup cards. Everything seemed normal until the rapid cracks of gunfire broke out.

Initially, there was little reaction from those on the field - perhaps not realizing the cracks in the distance were gunshots, or the imminent danger they were all in. Within seconds, audio from the video picked up the sounds of multiple bullets zipping overhead and bullets ricocheting off of metal.

Spectators in attendance began to screaming to "get down!" Both umpires immediately laid down near the backstop behind home plate as players and coaches ducked and raced toward their respective dugouts.

One brazen coach stood at home plate throughout the entirety of the ordeal, barely flinching before eventually offering a hand to an umpire to help him back onto his feet.

While it is not clear which coach was struck, he reportedly received treatment on the scene before being transported to the hospital by air ambulance. No other serious injuries were reported.

Community response

In the aftermath, The Rac suspended all games and practices pending further safety reviews and cooperation with law enforcement. The organization released a statement earlier in the week calling the shooting “an unimaginable situation” and expressed relief that the coach is recovering.

The investigation remains ongoing, but officials have emphasized that the gunfire is being treated as reckless and negligent rather than a deliberate attack on the youth baseball program.

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