Officials told local outlets that at least one person, an adult male, had been shot and was taken to hospital. Del City High School confirmed the incident and said it had decided to shift to virtual learning for the following school day.
In the footage, the game had just ended with the Del City Eagles winning 62 to 58 against Millwood High School Falcons when two gunshots are audible. Screams rise and the two commentators can be seen ducking for cover.
Spectators and cheerleaders, many of them children, can then be seen running behind them in the opposite direction. The John Smith field house is next seen near-empty, with those remaining walking around in shock.
“After the completion of the boys’ basketball game against Millwood High School, a fight occurred and gunshots were fired inside the field house,” the school’s principal Steve Gilliland said in a statement. “The Del City Police Department is onsite and investigating the incident.”
Police officials told Newsweek that shots appeared to have been fired both within the gymnasium and outside it.
“At this time, the investigation is still very active, so I cannot release any information related to suspects or victims,” Major Brad Cowden, of the Del City Police Department, said at 9.45am ET, January 18.
“There was at least 500 people here, maybe a little bit more,” Cowden told local news station KOCO5. “The game had just concluded when this incident occurred.”
Police are looking into the possibility that the end of the tight basketball match subsequently sparked an altercation that led to shots being fired.
At least four police officers were at the game to provide security, but this did not prevent the shooting from occurring.
No information was available on the wounded person’s condition, but he is not a student. “I can confirm that no Del City High School students were injured in the incident,” Cowden said.
Del City is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, a suburb to the south-east of the city centre, near Midwest City and the Tinker Air Force Base.
Toni Lewis, the mother of Del City senior forward Brandon Garrison—who was signed to Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2022—tweeted that the Del City team were “doing good” following the incident.
William Mays, a member of the Millwood High School team, wrote that both teams were safe. “I pray for the people involved to realize that HAVING a gun don’t make you popular,” he added. “All we can do is pray that one [day] they will understand!”
Update 01/18/23, 9:12 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment and details from Brad Cowden, spokesperson for the Del City Police Department.
