A shooting at a high school football season opener Aug. 22 in far Western Kentucky left one person injured, according to local police, and sparked panic among hundreds in the crowd.
One person was hospitalized and later flown to Nashville for treatment following a shooting that occurred during Friday night’s game between Graves County and host Mayfield, the Mayfield Police Department reported in a social media post. The victim was an adult who was injured in the incident, which occurred in a parking area near the high school’s War Memorial football stadium.
No more information about their condition was immediately available. Detectives are investigating, the police department statement said — anyone with information is encouraged to call the department at 270-856-3721 or 270-443-8355, or reach out to the department’s tip line by texting “WKY” and details about the incident to 738477.
All additional Mayfield school activities over the weekend have been canceled, according to the local school district. Counselors will be on hand at Mayfield High School on Aug. 23 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Hundreds of people appeared to be on site for the season-opening game, a video from local outlet WFCN shows, with the shooting causing panic in the crowd and a pause in the game, which was in progress at the time of the incident. The police department has not said whether a suspect was arrested.
Journalist Drayton Charlton-Perrin with Paducah-based WPSD was at the game and told the outlet he initially thought the shooting was a firecracker — “all the sudden I just heard this pop,” he said. “I look up, there’s kids running. … People seem to be pretty shaken up about this. This was supposed to be just a fun night of football.”
The shooting occurred in the fourth quarter of the game, which was recorded as a 40-7 win for Mayfield. The two schools are both located in Graves County, on the far western corner of the state, and were taking part in their annual Battle of the Birds rivalry game.
All Graves County High School students and staff are “safe and accounted for,” the school said in a social media post.
This story may be updated.
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Graves County vs Mayfield High School football game marred by shooting