Richfield football game shooting: Search warrant reveals new details
RICHFIELD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 15-year-old boy has been charged in connection with a shooting outside a Richfield High School football game last week that left two people injured, including someone the suspect had an altercation with at a Chipotle a few weeks before the shooting.
That's according to a search warrant application filed on Tuesday, which reveals new details about the investigation into the Sept. 23 shooting that sent people scrambling during Richfield's homecoming football game.
Police responded to the football field at Richfield High School, 7001 Harriet Ave. S, at 8:49 p.m. after reports of shots fired. Officers found two people had been shot – an 18-year-old who was shot in both legs and a 21-year-old who was shot in the leg, with the bullet hitting his cellphone that was in his pocket.
Both men were shot by a male wearing all black, a black mask with a black handgun and extended magazine, the seven-page search warrant application says.
The 21-year-old victim told police he saw several juveniles running toward the Bloomington seating area, so he moved toward the area to prevent fights from happening. He saw a male, a 16-year-old who was taken into custody but later released without being charged, instigating a fight with the victim, the application states. That's when the suspect, a 15-year-old boy, fired twice, hitting the two victims and causing the crowd to run. The gunman and the 16-year-old boy fled.
The 18-year-old victim told police he recognized the gunman from an altercation a few weeks ago during which he was assaulted by a group of people, the application states. He said the group was causing issues with him on social media but said they were using fake names on Instagram and Facebook to threaten him.
Police searched for the 15-year-old's Facebook account but it appeared to have been deleted, with the search warrant application stating suspects will do this to evade law enforcement.
Police found where the 15-year-old suspect lives in Richfield and executed a search warrant on Sept. 24, and also interviewed several family members, the application states.
The suspect called his family members several times while they were being interviewed. Investigators pinged the suspect's phone number, showing he was in Bloomington. He returned home that night and was arrested.
The 15-year-old suspect admitted he was at a friend's apartment in Bloomington prior to his arrest. Investigators obtained a new search warrant for the apartment, as investigators believed the suspect could have hidden evidence there.
Days after the shooting at the football game, on Sept. 26, Richfield Public Schools called off classes for the high school and middle school due to unspecified threats. The nature of the threats was not disclosed, and classes resumed on Tuesday.