School Violence, Christmas Day Shooting, Youth Gangs, Possibly Connected

A rise in violence at school events has recently caused a pause for middle school games, specifically an assault which happened at the Hazleton Elementary Middle School during a basketball game.

The assault hospitalized a juvenile who was a student in the Hazleton area.

Prior to that, police had to escort children home from the Hazleton Area High School after multiple fights occurred in the school and on school property. One of the fights reportedly involved adults who traveled to the school to engage in fighting the juveniles there.

On Christmas day, multiple shots rang out, with witnesses stating that it sounded like two parties shooting at eachother.

Initially, a 17 year old victim was hospitalized, with police searching for a second injured individual.

A man arrived hours later at the wilkes-Barre Township hospital with gunshot wounds to his leg and hand, lying to hospital staff and police about where he was when he was shot.

No charges have been filed yet for having any role in the shooting or for lying to law enforcement.

At the very least, violence in and involving the youth in the Hazleton area has grown greatly. Police escorts, cancled events, children being shot.

It is a truly unsettling time to have children in the Hazleton area.