St. Louis high school football game interrupted by gunshots

The Middle, 50 Yards

ST. LOUIS -- The sound of gunshots halted a high school football game in St. Louis, but officials say no one was injured.

The shots were fired near a stadium about 8 p.m. Friday, after the second half of the game between Gateway STEM and Vashon high schools started, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Some players dropped to the field, and spectators sought cover. No one was injured.

"You're almost immune," Vashon player Levi Stockard said of hearing gunshots.

Police say they don't think the shots were meant for anyone at the game.

Gateway's Fabian Harris said of the gunshots: "It's really a shame because it's not a testament to this league or this area at all."

Witnesses told the newspaper they could smell gunpowder. Police arrived shortly after the shots were fired.

"We were so glad the police were here. They were like Johnny on the spot," said Vashell Williams, 47, whose nephew was playing. "People want to talk about them being bad, but they were right here."

The game between resumed after a few minutes.

St. Louis police told the newspaper that a man in his 20s was found with a gunshot wound behind his ear in a vehicle about a mile and a half from the field, but it wasn't clear whether it was related to the gunshots near the school.

St. Louis resident Tiffany Spain was at the game with her husband and two young daughters. She said they began walking toward the exits, but then dropped to the field and heard more than a dozen shots.

"It seems like you can't go anywhere and be safe: a football game, church," she said. "Kids are getting shot in their houses. It's ridiculous."