Eden Prairie High School homecoming shooting: 18-year-old arrested over Somali gang incident

An 18-year-old has been arrested in connection with a shooting at Eden Prairie High School's homecoming game on 2 October. Two teenagers were injured in what police link to local Somali gangs.

Arrest made in Eden Prairie homecoming shooting

An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a shooting at Eden Prairie High School's homecoming football game, fox9.com reports. The arrest took place Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Highway 55 and Penn Avenue in Minneapolis.

The suspect is currently held at Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault. Fox9.com does not name suspects until formal criminal charges have been filed.

Eden Prairie Police Chief Matt Sackett confirmed the development in a statement: "The arrest today is an important step in this investigation. I'm incredibly proud of our officers and investigators who have worked nonstop alongside our law enforcement partners to identify those responsible and hold them accountable."

The shooting occurred on 2 October during a homecoming game against Minnetonka. Officers initially broke up a fight on the stadium grounds, but minutes later shots were fired in the parking lot. Two teenagers were injured. Officials evacuated the stadium and the homecoming game was cancelled and subsequently rescheduled.

Police have linked the incident to local Somali gangs. They stress, however, that the shooting is not connected to a separate gang-related incident at a gas station in the city that occurred the previous Monday.

The investigation remains open and police say further arrests and charges are possible.

Residents and city officials have been responding to two separate shooting incidents in Eden Prairie, both believed to be tied to Somali gang activity. Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case addressed the issue in an appearance on FOX 9's All Day programme, discussing steps authorities believe are needed to curb the violence.

Anyone with information about the homecoming shooting is asked to call 911, email Eden Prairie Police Department at [email protected], or contact the anonymous tip line at 952-949-8477.

Source: Eden Prairie Police Department press release.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)