A final report from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism reveals that a fight involving a stun gun set off the initial panic Aug. 25 during a high school football game between Bryant and Benton at War Memorial Stadium.
The report, obtained Wednesday by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said panic and confusion spread quickly among the crowd of 38,000 on hand to watch the Salt Bowl, an annual matchup between Saline County rivals. That led to a “mass panic situation,” with an estimated 25,000 spectators eventually fleeing in fear that an active shooter was inside the stadium, according to the report.
There was no evidence of any shots being fired during the panic and no active shooter was ever confirmed, the report states. No charges have been filed against the people involved in the altercation, and none are expected, according to state Department of Parks and Tourism Executive Director Kane Webb.
Officials said a fight broke out around 9:05 p.m. among a group of about 10 males near the top of the bleachers in Section 21 of the stadium. One of the individuals involved in the altercation pulled out a stun gun that was seen by other spectators, who began yelling “Gun, gun,” which led to hundreds of people running toward the exit ramps, the report states.
Event staff chased the group into the corridor, and they began running north past the concession stands. Members of the group repeated “Gun, gun,” as they were chased, setting off even more panic as approximately 5,000 individuals fled the stadium. Multiple barriers were knocked down near Gate 7, which led to more people yelling “Gun.”
An event staff member eventually took the stun gun from the subjects as staff chased the group out of the stadium, but that caused more panic as fans in Section 34 began running east.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.