For at least the fourth time this school year in Louisiana, a high school football game was halted prematurely because of gunfire.

Lake Charles College Prep’s District 3-3A Thursday night game at Cougar Stadium was stopped with 8:57 left in the fourth quarter and Kinder leading 21-12 when gunfire was reported near the stadium.

LCCP Athletic Director Freddie Harrison said Friday afternoon that the game will not be resumed and will go down as a no-contest.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association gave the schools the option to finish the game by 2 p.m. Sunday, but Harrison said it was mutually decided that it was not possible to do so.

“We had some issues with rescheduling with some things that Kinder and we were obligated to,” Harrison said. “We would have had to play the game by 2 p.m. Sunday.

“With the shortage of officials and the previous obligations, it was not feasible. But when you look at the grand scheme of things you want to do what is best for the children and fans. Hindsight is 20-20; life is more important than a game, and we wanted to make sure everyone is safe.”

Both teams would have benefited from the game. LCCP is ranked 21st in select Division III, which uses a 24-team bracket, while Kinder is the No. 8 team in nonselect Division III.

“I don’t know what the power rankings are going to say, but sitting down talking to the principal at Kinder and Coach (Justin) Reed and Coach (Erick) Franklin, everyone felt the best interest was to shut the game down,” Harrison said. “I think the best course of action was taken.

“When it comes to the playoffs, if we are in, we are in, and if we are not, we are not. I think the game would have helped Kinder bump a little bit, and it would have helped us. With the game being that close, the LHSAA gave us options, and both schools did what was in the best interest of student-athletes on both sides.”

The Lake Charles Police Department said the incident happened at 8:28 p.m. on the 1600 block of 2nd Street. Witnesses told officers that shots were fired at a nearby residence and that one person was injured and was taken to a local hospital before police arrived.

A news release reported the victim was later moved to a Baton Rouge hospital and was in critical condition.

“While we are still in the early stages of our investigation, we are able to confirm that this was an isolated incident, and had no connection to the high school football game that was under way at the time at Cougar Stadium,” Deputy Chief Franklin Fondel said in the news release.

Reed said procedures that are discussed before every game prepare administrators, coaches and officials to be able to handle such a situation.

“I didn’t personally hear (the gunshots), but most people did,” Reed said. “I had a headset on.

“We have those pack meetings at the beginning of the game with administration, coaches and officials and unfortunately we have to discuss an action plan if that happens.

“We knew what needed to be done when a principal came running on the field. It was a scary situation and chaotic in the moment, but it is a good thing we have those meetings. There wasn’t any danger to anyone in the stadium, but we didn’t know that at the time.”

Reed credited the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies with helping to clear everyone out of the stadium and monitoring the situation.

“We were gone within 20 minutes of us clearing the field,” Reed said. “They did a really good job.

“CPSO was on site and kept us informed. We were in the locker room for about 15 minutes. Then they told us we could leave, and they pulled the buses around. I was appreciative of that.”

On Sept. 1, a 16-year student was killed and another person injured in a shooting at Port Allen High School during a game between the Pelicans and Brusly. That game is listed on the LHSAA website as a 13-13 tie.

Shots were fired near Thibodaux High School on Oct. 6 during the Tigers’ game against Hahnville. The game was declared a no-contest with Hahnville leading 20-12 with 9:05 left in the third quarter.

And on Oct. 27, Donaldsonville’s game against Patterson was declared a no-contest after the game was halted by a shooting near the high school that left one dead and one injured.