Did a group of men attack a children's baseball field in Katy, Texas - shooting a coach who was leading a prayer? No, that's not true: A coach was hit by a stray bullet and taken by helicopter to the hospital - but the shooting does not appear to have been intentional or planned. Police said the three men arrested were target shooting in a pasture near the ballpark when a bullet carried downrange and hit the coach. They were charged with "Discharge of a Firearm -- Deadly Conduct", a felony.
The Department of Homeland Security made a post (archived here) on X on Sept. 26, 2025. The post (embedded below) is captioned:
🚨Two of the MONSTERS who opened fire on a children's baseball field in Katy, Texas, gained status and even U.S. citizenship under the Biden Administration.
Mustafa Mohammad Matalgah and Ahmad Mawed ruthlessly opened fire hitting the team's coach while he was leading a prayer.
The post includes these two photos:
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot from x.com/DHSgov/status/1971584538171023759/photo/1.)
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot from x.com/DHSgov/status/1971584538171023759/photo/2.)
🚨Two of the MONSTERS who opened fire on a children's baseball field in Katy, Texas, gained status and even U.S. citizenship under the Biden Administration.
-- Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 26, 2025
Mustafa Mohammad Matalgah and Ahmad Mawed ruthlessly opened fire hitting the team's coach while he was leading a prayer.... pic.twitter.com/1v6rlAKvWe
The Waller County, TX Sheriff's office published an official media advisory (archived here and here) on Sept. 22, 2025. It says in part:
On 09/21/2025, at approximately 09:45 am, deputies with the Waller County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of gunfire near the Ameripark youth baseball field located at 4256 F.M. 2855, Katy, Tx.
The investigation revealed that three suspects discharged firearms from a nearby pasture, in the direction of the field while a youth baseball event was taking place. During the gunfire, one adult male was struck in the upper arm. He was transported to Memorial Herman Hospital in downtown Houston for treatment and was later released.
Through investigative efforts, the three suspects involved have been identified. Charges of Deadly Conduct and other related offenses are being pursued.
The statute of the Texas penal code regarding Deadly Conduct can be found on law.justia.com. Subsection (a) describes a Class A misdemeanor and subsection (b) describes a third-degree felony -- which is how Waller County charged the men:
Sec. 22.05. DEADLY CONDUCT. (a) A person commits an offense if he recklessly engages in conduct that places another in imminent danger of serious bodily injury.
(b) A person commits an offense if he knowingly discharges a firearm at or in the direction of:
(1) one or more individuals; or
(2) a habitation, building, or vehicle and is reckless as to whether the habitation, building, or vehicle is occupied.
A Sept. 23, 2025 article (archived here) from abcnews.go.com features a video clip at 25 seconds, showing the coach (in a grey shirt) when he was hit by the stray bullet as he stood at home base with a group of people. Additional seconds of this footage appears at 2 minutes, 27 seconds and shows the interaction before the shooting, the men are shaking hands in what appears to be a pre-game greeting between coaches
On Sept. 24, 2025 the Waller County Sheriff's Office posted (archived here) on Facebook listing the charges with mugshots of the three men (pictured below), Mahmood Abdelsalam Rababah, 23, Ahmad Mawed, 21, and Mustafa Mohammad Matalgah, 27.
(Image Source: Lead Stories facebook.com/share/p/1MGQ5Ygrfa.)
A statement (pictured below) posted on Facebook on Sept. 21, 2025 by the baseball facility, The Rac (archived here) says in part:
This morning, during a baseball game, an unfortunate incident occurred involving recreational shooting on a nearby property. The local police department was immediately notified of the possible illegal hunting and responded to the scene in an effort to locate and apprehend the individuals involved.
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot from https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BEGqFB9Bn.)
