Eden Prairie High School students return to class with homecoming shooting still top of mind
High school students in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, are headed back to class Monday after two people were shot during Friday night's homecoming football game.
Leaders in Eden Prairie Schools say they've spent the weekend getting ready for the return. Superintendent Dr. Josh Swanson announced Sunday the district continues to work with law enforcement and their emergency management team to make sure students and staff feel safe and supported.
The homecoming game between Minnetonka High School, which had 12 minutes left when shots were fired outside Aerie Stadium, will resume Monday at 4 p.m. Eden Prairie High School's homecoming dance was also canceled. It's unclear when that will be rescheduled.
The investigation into Friday night's shooting is still active. Police say two teenagers, who aren't students at either school, were shot during a fight that led to gunfire. Authorities believe the shooting was gang related.
"It's crazy, it's crazy. It puts the onus on the schools to try and avoid this kind of thing happening. How do you do that? I don't know," a community member told WCCO.
"This shouldn't be happening, and it's not guns. There's thousands of people in the woods hunting with guns and this doesn't happen," said another community member. "We're at an event where guns aren't allowed and it happens, and so it's not guns, it's something going on with our community, with our kids that this is happening."
Johnson is also pushing back against hateful messages spreading online, especially ones placing blame on the Twin Cities Somali community.
"The heinous and sickening actions of a few do not define an entire community," Johnson said. "I have seen hateful messages spread online about entire communities based only on the ethnicities of those who perpetrated this act, and that is wrong. Our Somali students, neighbors and community members are just as outraged by what happened as everyone else, and each person deserves to feel safe and welcome in our schools and community."
Johnson is encouraging students who are struggling with what happened to reach out to a trusted adult or counselor.
