The Eden Prairie Police Department had to evacuate the Eden Prairie High School homecoming football game this evening after two young men were shot just outside the gates during a confrontation.
This bulletin was posted just before 10 pm:
The game against rival Minnetonka High School had drawn thousands of spectators and the evacuation was announced by the public address announcer. A reunification location was identified at nearby Round Lake Park for parents to pick up children.
Very little information has been reported at this time, including suspect identities. Recent shootings in Edina, Dinkytown, and outside graduation ceremonies this past spring have involved groups of Somali youth and have left the metro area exasperated. Some unverified social media posts have stated that the shooting involved Somali groups. If it turns out to be the case, law enforcement leaders will need to ramp up their efforts even further to quash retaliatory violence among this community – and political leadership will need to significantly increase their response to the problem.
Sadly, many inner-city schools have been forced to move their football games to an afternoon schedule in recent years to reduce chances of violence. There’s no doubt that metro area law enforcement will now need to staff remaining games with an even larger presence to deter further violence.