Sunday night’s STLAYF youth football league championship in Madison, Ill., was interrupted by gunfire that killed one person and left three others hospitalized.
According to KSDK, police responded to the shooting at Madison Senior High School just before 10:00 p.m., but the perpetrator was not apprehended at that time.
Witnesses, including coach Mike Gerdine, told Fox2 Now that the facility's lights were on a timer, and they had shut off automatically moments before the shooting. Spectators rushed onto the field in the darkness when a fight broke out. As fans and athletes began heading for the exits, shots were fired.
“It’s a very traumatic experience. A lot of [the athletes] are shaken up. They don’t know if they want to play football anymore,” said Gerdine. “For a kid going out there and playing the game that he loves, the sport that he loves, these aren’t the lessons that they should be learning.”
"Someone in that crowd saw something, recorded something, or has heard something since. We are asking those people to come forward," said Lt. Andrew Pierson with the Major Case Squad. "You do not have to have the whole story, a single video, a short video, or one detail you think is insignificant may be exactly what moves this investigation forward."
As a result of the shooting, Madison Community Unit School District 12 canceled Monday's classes.
In a statement, the school district said, "The District is deeply saddened by the shooting that occurred during a football game on the evening of November 1, 2026. Based on the information currently available to the District, one person has died and three others have been hospitalized. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this tragedy. The football game was not sponsored or organized by the District. Rather, the event was organized and ran by a third party, as authorized under Board Policy 8:20. Nevertheless, this violence affects our entire school community, and we recognize the grief and concern our students, families, and staff may be experiencing.”
The STLAYF youth football championships included teams for athletes ages six to 13.
“Youth sports should be a place where children can compete, families can celebrate, and communities can come together safely,” said STLAYF in a statement. “Violence has no place in youth sports or at events centered around our children.”
