Three people have been injured outside a football field in Toledo, Ohio, during a game between two high schools, causing panic among attendees and players, according to police reports.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the game between the Central Catholic and Whitmer, several shots began to be heard inside the venue, generating a state of panic among the attendees and players who ran in fear to take refuge aimlessly.
Officers have said the shots were fired outside the Whitmer High School stadium around 9:30 p.m. while they were competing against Central Catholic High School.
A Whitmer student and two adults were injured, Washington Local Schools spokeswoman Katie Peters said. "This has been a terrible and traumatic event," Police Chief George Kral, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Superintendent Kadee Anstadt said in a joint statement. "Fortunately... all three victims only suffered minor injuries." And they are expected to recover after being taken to hospital.
The police have denied that they have arrested the culprits, after the first information that pointed to two arrested. In any case, they have assured that surveillance cameras have allowed the "potential targets" to be identified and the investigation continues.
Apparently, two people wearing black balaclavas fired several shots while speeding away in a vehicle. The match was stopped with less than seven minutes remaining and police and firefighters arrived at the stadium, local newspaper Toledo Blade reported. “No attendees have been injured in the evacuation and we couldn't be more proud of our students, staff, Whitmer supporters and our Central Catholic visitors,” said Peters.
All spectators had been scanned with a metal detector for weapons before entering the field and 16 officers were checking the inside of the stadium.
One of the attendees, Lisa González, speaking to the Toledo Blade, said she was in the bathroom when she heard a gunshot and rushed out. "Everyone was yelling, 'They're shooting, they're shooting,' and we just ran."
