Eden Prairie shooting leaves two teenagers wounded at high school football game

Two teenage boys were shot outside Eden Prairie High School during a homecoming football match on Friday night, abruptly halting the game and triggering police investigations into suspected gang activity in the southwest Twin Cities suburbs.

The shooting took place outside Aerie Stadium as Eden Prairie played Minnetonka. Officers already stationed at the venue responded to an initial disturbance when gunfire erupted. Two victims, aged 17 and 18, suffered bullet wounds and were taken to hospital. The 18-year-old was discharged on Saturday, while the 17-year-old remains in hospital care. Neither victim attended Eden Prairie High School.

Police said a fight broke out shortly before the shots were fired. Investigators are searching for a getaway vehicle used by the suspects, though Eden Prairie Police Chief Matt Sackett said officers had not yet confirmed its make or model. The department said on Sunday that detectives were following multiple leads, but no arrests have been made and no suspect descriptions have been made public.

What police believe happened

Eden Prairie police stated over the weekend that the shooting is believed to be linked to Somali gang activity. Investigators are also examining whether the incident is connected to other recent gunfire reported in neighbouring Edina.

The violence led school officials to cancel the weekend's homecoming dance. Classes resumed as normal on Monday, and the suspended football game was finished later that day without further incident.

Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case acknowledged the shock the shooting caused across the suburban community, which sits southwest of Minneapolis. He called on Monday for the creation of a regional task force focused on gang activity involving East African youth. The proposed panel would bring together local, county and state police, prosecutors, school districts, social services and Somali community leaders.

"Anyone attending a high school football game — or any event — in our community should never have to experience gunfire," Case said. "This cannot become an issue that communities address individually only after violence occurs."

Community leaders call for answers

Somali community representatives in the Twin Cities have urged local officials to look past political rhetoric and address the underlying drivers of youth conflicts.

Hassanen Mohamed, executive director of the Minnesota Somali Community Center, acknowledged the growing concern over violence affecting Somali youth, both as perpetrators and victims, but questioned whether traditional gang definitions fit what is happening.

"Are they really a gang or an associated group?" Mohamed said. "Because they are not fighting over turf. They don’t have a structured hierarchy. There’s no structure whatsoever."

Mohamed noted that many recent disputes appear to begin online between loosely affiliated groups of teenagers before escalating into street altercations. He called on families, community figures and public authorities to confront the issue directly rather than trading blame.

The Twin Cities region has seen periodic warnings from law enforcement regarding youth groups. Earlier in the year, prosecutors in Ramsey County took legal steps to bar members of two rival factions, known as Muddy and Ville, from gathering at the Minnesota State Fair following earlier shootings. Authorities have not determined whether those specific factions played any role in Friday's gunfire.