Coach fired after gun accidentally fires during youth basketball game

GASTONIA, N.C. — The youth basketball coach accused of firing a gun during a game on Wednesday has been fired, the City of Gastonia confirmed.

A parent was livestreaming the game at the Erwin Center in Gastonia when the gun went off.

She said she was told the gun fell out of the pocket of a coach who was there for another game.

The City of Gastonia said the coach, 45-year-old Wallace Montgomery, is no longer a coach and has been suspended from facilities as police investigate the incident.

See the full statement from the City:

First and foremost, we want to stress that this was an unintentional accident by an adult that was not related to any youth incident. No one was hurt during the incident.

We also want the public, parents, and others to know that the safety of everyone in our community centers is paramount to us and we will continue to ensure that policies and procedures are followed in this regard. We are very proud of our staff for how they handled the incident and the Gastonia Police Department that responded quickly. We also appreciate that those who were in attendance were calm. Police and staff are still collecting information about this incident.

Mr. Montgomery is no longer a coach and has been suspended from facilities until our investigation is complete. Pending the outcome, further action may be taken.

No games have been halted. We had openings in our master schedule which allowed us to move our Wednesday Erwin Center games to another facility to be sensitive to any trauma that the incident may have caused players, parents, or spectators that were present. We will continue to use all of our centers for games and other activities, including Erwin Center where we will host youth basketball games on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Our schedule may change in upcoming weeks as we take on floor repairs.

Police said they charged Montgomery with weapons law violations. No one was injured in the incident.

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