EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — A Friday night high school homecoming football game turned chaotic when gunfire erupted outside the stadium, sending families and students scrambling for safety and leaving two teenagers with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Eden Prairie police said officers already stationed at the game were called around 8:40 p.m. to a disturbance on the north side of Aerie Stadium at Eden Prairie High School. The call quickly escalated into reports of shots fired during the matchup against Minnetonka. Two males, described in emergency dispatch audio as approximately 17 and 18 years old, were struck—one in the foot and one in the calf, and transported to Hennepin Healthcare. Neither victim attends Eden Prairie or Minnetonka schools, according to police.
Video circulating from inside the stadium shows a dense crowd of spectators under the lights, sudden movement as people begin clearing the stands, and officers moving through the area amid the confusion. The footage captures the rapid shift from a packed homecoming atmosphere to an active evacuation, with law enforcement visible securing the scene as attendees headed toward exits.
Police Chief Matt Sackett said the shooting is believed to be targeted. In a statement, the department confirmed: “Two individuals were shot and transported to Hennepin Healthcare with non-life-threatening injuries. Neither victim is a student at Eden Prairie or Minnetonka schools. The shooting is believed to be targeted. No arrests have been made. This is an active investigation.” Radio traffic indicated investigators had images of possible suspects, though officials have released no descriptions.
Law enforcement sources told Alpha News that Somali gangs were responsible for the shooting. The claim has not been confirmed in official public statements from Eden Prairie police. Minnesota has seen repeated reports of violence linked to Somali gang activity in recent years, including incidents near schools, graduations, and public events, according to local law enforcement accounts and court records cited by officials in the Twin Cities area.
School officials ordered a full evacuation of the stadium. Families were directed to Round Lake Park for reunification, with football players and band members later routed to a pavilion south of the tennis courts. Students inside the building were held for roughly an hour before being released. The game was stopped with 11:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, Eden Prairie leading 21-14, and is scheduled to resume Monday.
Superintendent Josh Swanson said the evacuation was nearly complete within an hour and credited the coordinated response of police, fire, EMS, and school staff. “Tonight was a hard night for our community,” he wrote. “A night that was meant to celebrate all that makes us Eagles was tarnished by the selfish and violent acts of a few.”
Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media that “no homecoming, in any community, should be disrupted by gun violence,” adding that Minnesotans were keeping students and families in their thoughts. The north parking lot remained closed as investigators worked the scene late into the night. No active threat remained after police secured the area by roughly 9:22 p.m., school officials said.
The incident has drawn sharp reaction online from residents who say suburban communities should not face the same gun violence long associated with parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Police continue to ask anyone with information to come forward as the investigation proceeds.
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