2 juveniles arrested in connection to shooting outside Richfield football game
Both shooting victims are recovering at home, police say
Updated: Sept. 25, 5:44 p.m. | Posted: Sept. 24, 5:05 p.m.
Two juveniles have been arrested in connection with a shooting Friday outside a high school homecoming football game in Richfield that left two people injured, Richfield police said Sunday.
The suspected 15-year-old shooter is a current Richfield High School student; he was arrested late Saturday night in Richfield, police said in a statement.
The person accused of instigating the encounter that led to the shooting, a 16-year-old former Richfield student, was arrested last night in Edina.
The two juveniles were taken to the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center and are expected to be charged early this week.
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“Learning that one of the students involved was one of our own makes a terrible situation even more devastating,” Richfield Public Schools leaders said in a statement later Sunday.
The sound of gunfire sent football players and fans running to evacuate the stadium at Richfield High School as they played Bloomington Kennedy High. The two people wounded — an 18-year-old man and a 21-year-old man — suffered what authorities described as non-life-threatening injuries. They both are now recovering at home, according to police.
District officials also used their statement Sunday to respond to allegations posted on social media that they knew of threats prior to the game but did not address them properly.
“Our staff thoroughly investigated these allegations prior to the game (which included contacting the athletics administration at Bloomington Kennedy High School and local law enforcement) and the rumors were determined not to be credible,” the statement read.
“Both reports involved Bloomington Kennedy students possibly instigating a fight, which, as we know, did not occur. This rumor circulates whenever these two teams play, which is why we did not notify the community about the threat.”
Nevertheless, the district added security measures in response to the anticipated large crowd and the homecoming fight at Edina High School the previous weekend.
Richfield police said the shooting happened at about 8:45 p.m. Friday in the fourth quarter of the high school’s homecoming game.
“A school staff member advised an on-site police officer that school officials had turned away a number of individuals from game entry that appeared to be waiting for the game to end. The individuals were gathered a short distance northeast of the football field,” a police news release stated.
The officer drove to that area, heard two gunshots and saw people running from the scene. KARE 11 reported a livestream of the game showed players running off the field after the shots were fired.
Authorities evacuated the stadium.
The Richfield school district canceled all weekend activities in response to the gunfire.
Along with an increased security presence and police patrols, more staff will be on hand at both the middle school and high school. Counselors and social workers will also be on hand to help students.