MANSFIELD, Texas — Police have identified the two adults involved in an argument that caused chaos at a youth basketball tournament in Mansfield on Sunday.
The investigation remains open, and Mansfield police are not yet sure whether charges will be filed.
Investigators have determined one of the adults pulled a gun in the parking lot of Fieldhouse USA complex, near Broad Street and Highway 287.
Police said no shots were fired, but when the gun was seen outside, people ran inside and yelled things like "gun," "shooter," and "shots fired."
That led everyone inside the gym for the tournament to rush toward the exits.
Video captured by Sandlin Game Streaming showed the terror felt by players, coaches, referees and families before they knew it was a false alarm.
"We were just shy of three minutes before halftime when you see people starting to run, and someone yells shooter," said Noble Sandlin, who livestreams his daughter's team's games so families back home in Oklahoma can watch.
Police said during the chaos someone knocked over a table and that loud sound was mistaken for a gunshot.
"People just take off. Your flight instincts kick in. And you go from enjoying a good competitive basketball game to dealing with an active shooter situation," Sandlin said.
Once he knew his daughter and wife had run out of the gym, he grabbed one of his daughter's teammates who was huddled by bleachers covering her younger sister.
"I had them get up and run in front of me toward that exit, shielding them. I’d rather be a bigger target than them," he said.
Sandlin said the tournament attracted under-17 teams from across the nation.
He said college recruiters were also in attendance.
"These young kids, they shouldn’t have to deal with things like this, but they sure did know how to get away from it. That’s a good thing – that their instincts were to flee," he said.
The rest of the games were canceled.
The Sandlins drove home to Oklahoma earlier than expected.
"My family is safe, my extended basketball family is all safe," he said. "Grateful and blessed, that’s how I feel."