A teenager was shot and critically injured early Friday in the parking lot of Stewartville High School, where students were boarding a bus for a wrestling meet, and an adult male was found dead nearby from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, authorities said.
Olmsted County deputies said the shooting unfolded around 5 a.m. on Dec. 12 as coaches and students assembled outside the school in southern Minnesota. The wounded student was rushed to Mayo Clinic in Rochester and underwent emergency surgery; family later described the teen as in critical but stable condition. The suspected shooter, whose identity had not been released by the weekend, was discovered on the ground with a rifle. Investigators said early evidence indicates he died by suicide moments after the first shot. Detectives are working to confirm any relationship between the man and the student and to determine a motive.
Deputies and first responders arrived minutes after a 911 call reporting gunfire near a waiting school bus. Witnesses told investigators they heard a first shot and saw a student fall in the parking lot, then heard a second shot as people searched for the source. Coaches moved students to cover while staff called for help. A deputy located an adult male on the asphalt with a rifle beside him. The teen, whose name has not been released, was stabilized at the scene and transported to Mayo Clinic. “This is not something we ever expect to see in our community,” Sheriff Kevin Torgerson said in an on-scene briefing, adding that counselors would be made available for students and staff.
Investigators said they recovered the firearm and mapped shell casings in the area where the bus was parked. Dozens of students were on or near the bus at the time, but deputies reported no additional injuries. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office and the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team began processing the scene before daylight, documenting vehicle positions and taking statements from wrestlers, coaches and school staff. Authorities did not immediately say how the gunman arrived or whether he had contact with anyone on campus prior to the shooting. Officials said there was no continuing threat once the man was found dead.
Classes were canceled Friday. Stewartville Schools later announced a late-start schedule for Monday to give families additional time and to allow staff to coordinate support services. The district said counselors and social workers would be on hand as teams resumed activities under heightened security. The campus, about 12 miles south of Rochester, serves a largely residential community; the lot where the shooting occurred is a common staging area for early-morning athletics travel. Parents gathered along Sixth Avenue Southwest during the response as patrol cars blocked entrances and investigators worked under portable lights.
By afternoon, crime-scene tape surrounded a wide swath of the parking area while deputies canvassed nearby homes and checked exterior cameras for video of arriving vehicles. Authorities asked witnesses who were driving past the school between 4:30 and 5:15 a.m. to share dashcam footage. The Sheriff’s Office said the family of the deceased man was cooperating with investigators. Officials did not release the man’s age or hometown pending formal identification by the medical examiner. The agency also declined to say how many rounds were fired or how close the man was to the bus when he fired.
Stewartville joins a list of Minnesota communities jolted by violence in and around schools this year, prompting renewed questions about before- and after-hours security at campuses where teams often depart before sunrise. School districts routinely coordinate with sheriff’s offices to place deputies near high-traffic events and to monitor parking lots used for athletic travel. Friday’s shooting happened during one of those early windows, when fewer staff are on site and students gather outside. While investigators said there were no other suspects, the district said it would review departure procedures and parking-lot supervision alongside law enforcement as classes resume.
The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with assistance from state agents. The medical examiner will determine official cause and manner of death for the adult male and will confirm the student’s injury description. Detectives are tracing the recovered rifle and reviewing phone and social media records to establish a timeline. Officials said any charging decisions would depend on additional findings about possible accomplices; as of Sunday, investigators said they did not have evidence of a wider plot.
In Stewartville, residents stopped by the school throughout the day to check on friends and family. A small cluster of bouquets appeared near the bus lane Friday night. “Our kids were loading up to compete, and then we heard two cracks,” said Ben Carlson, a parent volunteer who was near the lot when gunfire began. “Coaches did exactly what they had to do—get the kids down and call for help.” Others described a swift response as deputies and firefighters converged from nearby posts along U.S. 63. By evening, a patrol car remained at the entrance as technicians finished photographing the scene.
As of late Sunday, the student remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition, according to family updates shared with school officials. The Sheriff’s Office said it would provide the next formal update after the medical examiner confirms the deceased man’s identity and investigators complete preliminary interviews. The district’s late-start schedule is set for Monday, with counseling teams in place and extracurricular schedules under review.
Author note: Last updated December 15, 2025.