Washington DC - A terrifying shooting outside of Nationals Park in the nation’s capital forces a game between the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres to be suspended mid-game.

Three people were the victims of a shooting that occurred right outside the home stadium of the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

The Padres and the Nationals game was just heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, with San Diego up 8-4, as loud noises that were thought to be gunshots were heard on the park’s left side – near third base.

It was enough for players from both teams to instinctively clear the field.

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According to police reports as of midnight in DC, only two victims were thought to have been shot at the scene. But then a third shooting victim reportedly brought themselves to a nearby hospital shortly after the stadium was evacuated.

Fans in various sections took it upon themselves to either evacuate the stadium or seek cover in nearby spots, with some going as far as occupying the Padres’ dugout, which is also located along the third base side.

The public address system at Nationals Park made an announcement of an incident that had occurred outside the ballpark, but it was unspecific in nature. They also presented a message on their main scoreboard instructing fans in attendance to stay within the stadium.

Minutes afterwards, the team posted information on their Twitter feed stating, “A shooting has been reported outside of the Third Base Gate at Nationals Park. Fans are encouraged to exit the ballpark via the CF and RF gates at this time.''

Speaking to the Associated Press on the scene, executive assistant chief of the Washington DC Metro Police Ashan Benedict explained, "This was not an active shooter incident, and it’s not being investigated as such. Everything took place outside of the stadium."

The game will be completed on Sunday afternoon, July 18, and is scheduled to resume at 1:05 PM.