3 hurt in shooting outside Ohio high school football stadium

Police said the shots were fired behind the Whitmer High School stadium in West Toledo

Police in Ohio said three people were wounded in a shooting outside a high school football game that sent people on the field and spectators in the stands running for cover.

Police said the shots were fired behind the Whitmer High School stadium in West Toledo at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday during the game with Central Catholic High School. A Whitmer student and two adults were wounded, said Washington Local Schools spokesperson Katie Peters, who called it “an act of violence."

Two victims were taken to ProMedica Toledo Hospital and the third to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, the Toledo Blade reported. An update on their conditions was not immediately available. WTOL-TV reported police saying two people were taken into custody; no charges were immediately announced.

Dispatchers told responding police that witnesses reported two people in black ski masks firing shots and a vehicle then speeding away, the Toledo Blade reported. Play was halted with less than seven minutes remaining as police and fire crews converged on the stadium, the newspaper reported.

“No guests were injured in the evacuation and we could not be prouder of our students, staff, Whitmer fans, and our guests from Central Catholic,” Ms. Peters said. The school district’s security and screening measures were used during the event, Ms. Peters said.

Lisa Gonzalez told the Toledo Blade that she was in the restroom when she heard one shot and she emerged to chaos outside.

“Everyone was screaming, ‘They’re shooting, they’re shooting,’ and we just ran,” she said.