In Choctaw, Oklahoma, a tragic event transpired during a high school football game on Friday, August 25. The game, which was in its third quarter, was interrupted when 16-year-old Cordae Carter was fatally shot. As a result, players and spectators quickly sought safety.
On Wednesday, August 30, authorities apprehended a 15-year-old boy in Spencer, a suburb of Oklahoma City. Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III confirmed the arrest, stating that it was conducted without incident. As the suspect is underage, his identity is being withheld.
Choctaw police have since launched an investigation into the matter.
Another angle of the investigation is delving into a shot discharged by an off-duty police officer during the event. For security purposes, two officers, including one from Del City, were present at the game. Authorities aim to determine what led the Del City officer to use his firearm.
Following the officers’ gunshots, two individuals were injured: a 15-year-old girl suffered a leg wound, and a 42-year-old man sustained a critical gunshot wound to the chest. Sheriff Johnson clarified that the man’s injury was caused by the shot from the Del City officer. Both officers, who were not on active duty during the game, have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Choctaw Police Chief Kelly Marshall mentioned a prior altercation between two males before the shooting, though specifics of this dispute are yet to be disclosed. The involvement of either the 16-year-old victim or the injured 42-year-old man in the prior dispute remains unclear.
The victim’s mother, Janea Wright, said that her son was at the football game to watch his cousins and brother play.
To support Cordae Carter’s family, Daniel Chapin of The Uvalde Foundation for Kids initiated a fundraising campaign. The raised funds will aid Carter’s family with funeral and burial expenses.