Murder charge is dropped against teen for high school football game shooting

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma prosecutor has dropped murder charges against a 15-year-old accused of fatally shooting another teen during a high school football game.

A witness who identified the teen as the gunman who killed 16-year-old Cordae Carter has recanted the teen’s identification, Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna said in a statement Friday.

Behenna said the charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be refiled, and that she has asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for help gathering evidence.

“Based on their investigation, the charges may be refiled in the future as there is no statute of limitations for murder,” Behenna said.

Carter died after being shot in August during the Del City-Choctaw high school game in Choctaw, on the eastern edge of Oklahoma City.

Two other people were injured by gunfire as players and officials left the field and panicked spectators crouched in the stands. One was a 42-year-old man who, according to Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, was shot by one of two off-duty Del City officers who accompanied the Del City team to the game.

Both officers were placed on paid leave, Del City Police Chief Loyd Berger said at the time. A spokesperson for the Del City Police Department did not immediately return a message Saturday seeking comment on the status of Del City officers.

Choctaw Police Chief Kelly Marshall said at the time that seven Choctaw police officers were also at the game.