Manhunt Forces Evacuation OF H.S. Football Game

FOWLER – It was a scary night for students and fans at a high school football game Friday night after police evacuated the stadium.

The incident is still the talk of the town in the small town of Fowler and there are several rumors behind it. NEWSCHANNEL 13 went to find out exactly what caused it.

“Were in lock-down, get in there as fast as you can,” said Jerrod Quindt, a 7th grader who was at the game.

“They said that we need to evacuate and go into the gym, because there is a gunman,” said Anna Vessa, an 8th grader who was also at the game.

The two are describing the announcement that was made just before kickoff over the loudspeaker at the stadium to evacuate and immediately go to the school gym, which would be locked down.

“I was just thinking I didn’t want to get shot, I didn’t want anyone to get shot,” said Vessa.

The school’s Principal, Russell Bates said they took immediate action once they received a call from police.

“When they say man with a gun, and we had five to six hundred people there, the game became secondary and we wanted to get people out,” said Bates.

But what exactly led up to it? There are still several rumors flying around town.

“They say a Fed-Ex man got shot at,” said Quindt. Other people heard that the gunman was spotted at the football game.

But Saturday, police say it all stemmed from a false report. The man they were looking for was 28-year-old Jayson Oslund. He’s wanted for charges of first-degree assault after allegedly beating 18-year-old Matt Maez nearly to death last week in Pueblo. Maez remains on life support at Parkview Medical Center.

Police now say that Oslund wasn’t even in Fowler. The report of a gunman came from a disturbance from the victim’s family members and Oslund’s brother, Kelly.

According to reports, friends and family members of Matt Maez went to Oslund’s home in Fowler because they believed Jayson was there hiding from police. Kelly Oslund alleges that they fired two shots at him out front of his house because they thought he was his brother. After the shots were fired Kelly tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 that he ran into a field near his home to avoid getting hit. The field also connected to the football stadium.

Police were called and reports came that shots were fired and the gunman went into the field, which is what triggered the lockdown at the high school.

Saturday, Sgt. Eric Bravo with the Pueblo Police Department said the incident is still under investigation and they did not recover any evidence that any shots were ever fired on either side of the argument. No one was hurt in the incident.

NEWSCHANNEL 13 spoke with Kelly Oslund about his brothers run from the law. He says that he has not been in contact with his brother since the day the arrest warrant was issued last Sunday.

Kelly Oslund alleges that the victim’s family members have been harassing his family in Fowler and he fears there will be more violence. He says that if he was able to speak with his brother than he would beg him to turn himself into authorities.

Kelly was with his brother Jayson the night of the alleged assault. He says that his brother is innocent.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Jayson Oslund, you are asked to call police immediately. You can also call Crimestoppers at 542-STOP.

Police say if the victim passes away, the charges may be upgraded to murder.

Stay tuned to NEWSCHANNEL 13 and KRDO.com for the latest updates on this story.