Chattanooga Police and other security personal monitored the Brainerd Tyner basketball game Friday night at Brainerd HIgh School. There has been shootings reported in the area of two high school basketball games in the past two weeks.Fortunately, the only shots taken Friday night at Brainerd High School were on the basketball court.
The Tyner girls and boys teams played the Lady Panthers and Panthers in District 6-AA games. Within the last two weeks, both schools had shooting incidents outside their gymnasiums while boys games against Howard were going on inside.
Even before news of Friday’s deadly shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Brainerd officials had strengthened security plans.
Brainerd Principal Uras Agee said 12 or 13 officers were on hand, which is a few more than usual at a game. Everyone coming inside walked through a metal detector. It also was used Tuesday when East Hamilton’s teams played at Brainerd, and it will be used for all remaining home games this season.
“Under this new administration we kind of had a new focus and beefed-up security,” said Brainerd’s director of counseling, Melissa Brassel. “Our first priority is keeping the students, fans and parents safe.”