Shooting at Kentucky high school football game leaves one injured
One person was hospitalized after a shooting disrupted a high school football game in Western Kentucky on Friday night.
The shooting took place in the parking lot next to Mayfield’s War Memorial Stadium in Graves County, where Mayfield High School was playing Graves County High School, the Mayfield Police Department said in a social media post early Saturday.
An adult victim was taken by ambulance to Jackson Purchase Medical Center and then transferred to a hospital in Nashville, police said.
“Detectives are collecting evidence, and processing the scene,” the police department said.
Video shared online in the aftermath of the shooting showed players running off the football field and the stands being evacuated.
The Graves County Sheriff’s Department had shared photos of the football stadium earlier Friday, saying a huge crowd had gathered for the Battle of the Birds between the Graves County Eagles and Mayfield Cardinals.
After the shooting, Mayfield Independent Schools canceled all school activities for the weekend, and the system said it would have counselors at the high school Saturday “for students, staff, and any member of the community.”
“Please keep our school and community in your thoughts and prayers,” the school system said in a Facebook post.
Graves County High School said in a Facebook post that all its staff and students were “safe and accounted for.”
Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tackett said in a post on his personal Facebook page that the incident was not related to the game and did not involve any students playing or attending the game.
“This likely was not a random act but the situation and the reaction to it, could have caused so many problems,” Tackett wrote.
He said he was thankful for “preparedness and response of administrators, SROs, law enforcement and so many others.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2025 at 9:20 AM.
