Little boys ran football drills on a field in Northeast D.C. on Thursday. As they ran and threw and army-crawled, one teammate was missing: 6-year-old Ahsan Payton. He died after he was shot a week earlier in Maryland on July Fourth.
The Woodridge Warriors team for children 6 and younger is starting their season and mourning the stunning loss.
“I just want everybody to know we lost a really good one. We lost a future,” Rodney Glover, known as Coach Sport, said in an exclusive interview with News4. He got choked up as he spoke.
Payton was at an Independence Day celebration in Temple Hills, with food, music and a bounce house, when at least two shooters opened fire. Three people were shot, including Payton. He died two days later.
Glover, his coach, said he learned what had happened on the news.
“I fell to my knees. I fell to my knees because I could not believe it,” he said.
The Woodridge Warriors are dedicating their season to Payton and retiring his number, 10. The happy child who always had a smile on his face would have been his team’s star running back this season, his coach said.
An investigation into who opened fire and why is ongoing. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact Prince George’s County police. A reward of up to $25,000 is available.
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