COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Police in Colorado Springs are investigating a fatal shooting in a school parking lot near where a youth football game was being played Saturday afternoon.
A 29-year-old man was killed when a verbal altercation between two men escalated into a shooting in the parking lot of Atlas Preparatory School, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. The suspect remains at large.
Police said during the altercation, one of the men involved produced a handgun and fired at the other man. No other injuries were reported. The identity of the victim is being withheld until proper identification is made.
Atlas school officials said in a statement that its sports fields are rented out to external groups on weekends and that the shooting did not involve any of its students.
Pikes Peak Pop Warner, a youth football and cheer program, hosted the game. Its president, Michelle Quintana, told Denver7's sister station, KOAA, in a statement that the incident in the school parking lot was unrelated to the organization's teams.
"We want to address the unfortunate incident that occurred during our Pop Warner games at Atlas Prep this afternoon. This situation was not related to our teams; it involved two individuals with prior personal issues who do not have children in our league and do not participate in any coaching or volunteer roles. The safety of our athletes and their families is our top priority, and we are implementing additional measures to ensure their continued safety in the future. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' family during this difficult time," Quintana said in a statement.
Colorado Springs police also said that they don't believe the shooting was related to the youth football game. However, they are still investigating to determine the circumstances that led up to the shooting.
Police have not identified the suspect. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the CSPD Communications Center.