Oklahoma high school football scrimmage canceled after car backfire mistaken for gunshots

The annual Oklahoma City All-City All-Conference football scrimmages at Taft Stadium were canceled midway through the event Thursday night after noises from outside the stadium were mistaken for gunfire.

Oklahoma City Police Department officers at the scrimmages confirmed to The Oklahoman that the gunshots were mistaken for backfire coming from a Chevrolet Camaro driving near the stadium.

People inside the stadium heard the loud sounds of the car backfiring shortly after 8:30 p.m. during the final set of football scrimmages between John Marshall and Southeast High School. Soon after, players, coaches, and others in attendance scattered from the stands onto the field and eventually out of the stadium.

Despite efforts to restart play, the atmosphere remained tense and game officials canceled the remainder of the scrimmages soon after announcers told patrons that the presumed gunshots were a false alarm.

Gun violence at sporting events has become all too common in recent years across the country, including in Oklahoma. A shooting at a high school football game at Choctaw last August left one person dead and several injured.

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Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.