A 16-year-old was killed after a shooting broke out at a high-school football game in Oklahoma, police confirmed in a press release Saturday.
During the third quarter of a game at Choctaw High School against Del City High School on Friday night, gunshots erupted from the visitors’ side of the stadium, according to Choctaw Police Chief Kelly Marshall. Players and officials reportedly ran off the field while others ducked down in the stands.
Marshall said the 16-year-old boy, who was not a student of Choctaw or Del City high schools, suffered a fatal gunshot to the groin. At least four others in attendance at the game were injured, and police believe an argument between two men led to the shooting.
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Authorities have yet to release the names of any of the victims. One 42-year-old man sustained a shot to the chest and is now in the intensive care unit in stable condition after undergoing surgery, Marshall said. A young woman, shot in the thigh, has been treated and released, and two other women are suspected to have broken wrists and a leg while trying to escape the scene.
The Choctaw Police Department is investigating the incident as a homicide with the help of the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office and Del City Investigators. A Del City Officer discharged his firearm during the incident, Marshall said, and will also be under investigation.
The school district typically employs five Choctaw Officers for every home game, according to Marshall. All five were present at Friday’s game in addition to two Del City officers and two on-duty Choctaw cops who stopped by.
Officials recovered two guns and eight rounds at the scene. While there are no suspects in custody at this time, investigators have received a description of a person of interest, NBC News reported. In a statement, Superintendent of Choctaw-Nicoma Park David Reid wrote that the suspect is not related to either high school.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the tragic and senseless actions of an individual in the visitor’s section of last night’s football game,” he wrote. “Together, we will overcome this challenge and emerge stronger as a community.”
