03-03-2025
Ozarks cheer groups face chaos at Dallas tournament
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Families across the Ozarks are rattled after chaos broke out due to a fight at the National Cheerleaders Association All-Star Championship in Dallas over the weekend.
Bailey Simmerman's aunt, uncle and cousin were at the tournament. She says she felt helpless being so far away.
'There's nothing we could have done. Even if my parents were on their way, that's still a seven, eight-hour drive,' said Simmerman.
Multiple cheer groups from around the Ozarks are at the tournament this weekend. Originally the panic was thought to be caused by an active shooter.
'I got a call from my mom and she was like, 'Hey, your Aunt Jackie and Uncle Mike are in the convention center,'' says Simmerman. 'They're currently locked in a closet with the lights off.'
Springfield flight headed to Houston makes emergency landing
After a preliminary investigation, it was found that chaos was caused by a fight that broke out between two people. Multiple poles were knocked down during the fight, making a loud noise, leading to visitors stampeding outside.
'This is happening. We need to work together to figure out what's going on because my aunt and uncle weren't responding. And so that was super scary,' says Simmerman.
Ten people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Dallas Police Department. Simmerman says she's grateful her family was not hurt and that incident has made her think about the future.
'I think it's important to have a game plan. Going to baseball games and football games and conventions and like anything can happen and it's best to just have a plan if something were to happen,' says Simmerman.
An investigation into the incident is still ongoing. The tournament did resume on Sunday, March 2.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
