Parents shocked, dismayed after shooting at Richfield homecoming football game 

RICHFIELD, Minn. (FOX 9) - Friday night lights in Richfield were quickly replaced by screaming, shouting and sirens after two men were shot at the school’s homecoming football game, sending fans and players running for the exits.

Richfield Police say two men — a 21-year-old and an 18-year-old —  were found with nonlife-threatening gunshot wounds near the northeast entrance to the football field. The 18-year-old was taken to a hospital. 

 Stephanie Mockobee was waiting in the parking lot to pick up her son from the marching band when shots were fired, "I’m sitting in the car, and I just heard boom boom boom," Mockobee told FOX 9 on Saturday. "It upset me when I saw the football players running off the field."

Police say that before the shooting, school staff had just refused entry to a group of people who "appeared to be waiting for the game to end." Stephanie believes she drove by that same group only moments earlier, describing them as "like two small pods of up to 20 children in black, all black," she said.

A woman who has lived across the stadium for 30 years told us she heard the shots, and then saw groups of people, including children, running. She was shaken, and asked that we not include her last name. 

 "What really got me is most of the people I observed appeared to be younger,"  the woman, whose first name is Liz, said. 

As of Saturday afternoon, Richfield Police said they had not yet identified or arrested anyone for the shooting.

After the game, Richfield Principal Theien-Collins sent this message to families:

Dear Spartan Families,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you tonight. I am heartbroken by the violence that broke out at the homecoming game, which has deeply impacted our entire community. What was supposed to be a weekend of celebration and school pride is now a time when we must come together in support and solidarity. 

To help ensure student safety and to allow us all a little room to breathe, reflect and heal, we have made the decision to cancel all weekend activities, including boys and girls soccer and the homecoming dance.

We will have counselors and social workers on-site this week for any students who were directly or indirectly impacted by these events or who simply wish to process how they are feeling. 

In Partnership,

Principal Stacy Theien-Collins