No fans to be allowed at basketball games between Spalding, Griffin High Schools

SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — No fans will be allowed at two upcoming metro Atlanta basketball games just months after a teen was shot and killed after the same schools matched up on the football field.

Basketball games between Griffin High School and Spalding High School, scheduled for Jan. 20 and Feb. 3 of 2024, will be played without fans, the Griffin-Spalding School District announced Friday.

“In the interest of safety, and out of an abundance of caution, no spectators will be allowed at this year’s Griffin High vs. Spalding High basketball competitions (1/20/24 and 2/3/24).

Only team essential personnel will be permitted on the school campus for the scheduled varsity games. Neither GHSA nor GSCS employee ID passes will be accepted for spectator admission, as tickets are not being sold and the game is closed to all except game essential personnel (coaches, trainers, referees, etc.). JV and 9th-grade games scheduled for those dates will be rescheduled or canceled.”

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Back on Sept. 30, 14-year-old Emmanuel Dorsey was shot and killed after the two schools played in a football game, according to Griffin police.

Then, on Oct. 9, police arrested 17-year-old Kaomarion Kendrick after a multi-week search.

The district did not specify whether this decision was related to this deadly shooting.

The games will be streamed online for those who pay for a subscription.

RELATED STORIES:

• 15-year-old dead after shooting near high school football game, Griffin police say
• Metro Atlanta police identify person of interest in shooting death of 14-year-old
• 17-year-old arrested in shooting death of 14-year-old outside Spalding County football game

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