Inset: Steven Hamblin (Boone County Sheriff”s Office). Background: A man alleged to be Steven Hamblin pointing a gun at a crowd of people outside an elementary school (Viewer submitted to WKRC/YouTube).
A Kentucky father was placed behind bars after authorities say he threatened to shoot a group of people because he was upset about his son’s playing time in a youth basketball game.
Steven Hamblin, 28, is in the Boone County Jail on charges of wanton endangerment, tampering with physical evidence, unlawful possession of a weapon on school property, and endangering the welfare of a minor, records reviewed by Law&Crime show. He is being held under a $200,000 cash bond.
It was Saturday afternoon, and a youth basketball game had just been played at Walton-Verona Elementary School in Verona, Kentucky. According to an arrest citation obtained by Lexington-based NBC affiliate WLEX, attendees of the game, including Hamblin, were in the parking lot outside the school.
Hamblin reportedly wanted to speak to a coach about his son’s playing time in the game, and a “verbal argument ensued.” The court document said there was a “small scuffle,” and the suspect and the coach were separated.
Video sent to regional CBS and The CW affiliate WKRC shows what appears to have happened next. A man alleged to be Hamblin can be seen opening the driver’s-side door of an SUV while an apparent child scampers away behind the vehicle to the other side.
The man can then be seen closing the SUV’s door and stepping behind the vehicle to point and aim an apparent handgun at a group of eight or so people. As he waved the gun around, he allegedly said multiple times he was “going to shoot” the people, local Fox affiliate WXIX reported. They were apparently affiliated with the visiting team.
Officers responded to the scene at about 2 p.m. but caught up to Hamblin at his home not long after. While speaking about what happened, he reportedly stated he “was defending his family who was being attacked.”
The superintendent of Walton-Verona Independent Schools, Matt Baker, said in a statement obtained by WKRC that “We are thankful for the rapid response and professionalism of the Boone County Sheriff’s deputies who assisted us this afternoon,” adding, “Our focus remains on maintaining a secure and welcoming environment for our families and guests.”
The defendant is due to appear in court on Feb. 9.
Verona is located in northern Kentucky, roughly 25 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio.
