High School Football Star Believed to Have Died Shielding Others During Shooting: ‘He Was a Hero’

Police said a 22-year-old man and 42-year-old woman were also injured in the incident and taken to the hospital

An 18-year-old high school student who was killed in a shooting at a Harvest Homecoming event in Indiana has been remembered as a hero.

The New Albany Police Department’s Police Chief Todd Bailey said in a press conference shared by WLKY News that Bryce Gerlach had been killed after gunshots were fired at the event at around 9:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Bailey noted that Gerlach and two other people — a 22-year-old man and 42-year-old woman who were injured in the incident and not identified by police — were “innocent bystanders” who had been shot at the event. Gerlach was pronounced dead at the scene, while the two others were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, per police.

He said that through their preliminary investigation, it was “believed at least two groups of individuals were involved in a dispute” that “led to shots fired,” and that investigators had identified several persons of interest in the shooting. However, police did not say at the time whether anyone was apprehended.

Several of Gerlach's classmates from Corydon Central High School told WAVE that they believed he had died a hero, trying to shield other people in his group from the bullets after the shooting began.

“It was very selfless what he did,” Gerlach’s friend Tanner Chumly told the outlet. “And I’m thankful he went out in such a heroic way so that’s how people remember him because that’s what he was. He was a hero."

Gerlach was identified as a varsity football player on the school's team. Corydon Central Head Football Coach Luke Keller told the Louisville Courier Journal that Gerlach "always jumped to the front line to take on that leadership role."

The team is scheduled to play in a Friday night game against Silver Creek, where students are encouraged to wear blue, the varsity football player’s favorite color, in remembrance of him, Corydon Central Athletics said in a Facebook post.

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In a separate post, the athletics team said “our hearts are incredibly heavy” following the news of the 18-year-old’s death.

“There are not enough words to describe the condolences we extend to his family and friends,” they added.

New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan also extended his “condolences” to Gerlach’s family in a statement on Facebook, adding, “Gun violence at a family festival is heartbreaking and tragic, and our country must find a way to come together to stop this type of violence.”

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