Bucks Cancel Game 7 Watch Party After Shootings Near Fiserv Forum's 'Deer District'
May 14, 2022
The Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup on Sunday at TD Garden, but the franchise's watch party outside of Fiserv Forum will not go on as planned.
The Bucks announced Saturday that they have canceled their Game 7 watch party in the Deer District outside of their arena following the shootings that happened in downtown Milwaukee on Friday night.
A total of 21 people were injured in three separate shootings near Fiserv Forum on Friday.
Three people, including a teenage girl, were shot near the "Deer District" toward the end of the Bucks' Game 6 loss to the Celtics. The plaza outside of Fiserv Forum reached its capacity of 11,000 people during the game, and after gunshots were heard, fans fled the area.
A 19-year-old has since been arrested in connection with the shooting.
Another person was injured in a second shooting before the third shooting occurred less than one mile from the arena hours after the game ended. It left 17 people with non-life-threatening injuries.
No arrest was made in relation to the second shooting, but 10 people were taken into custody in relation to the third shooting. Police also recovered nine firearms from the third shooting, which they described "as an exchange of gunfire between two groups of people," per ESPN's Jamal Collier.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has since put an 11 p.m. curfew in place for both Saturday and Sunday.
This is the second straight year people have been shot near Fiserv Forum on the day of a Bucks playoff game. In July 2021, three people were injured in two shootings near the arena as fans celebrated the team's first NBA title in 50 years.
The Bucks and Celtics will tip off in Game 7 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.