An 18-year-old man fatally shot his 17-year-old high school friend and football teammate over the weekend in a northern Minnesota home in what authorities were told was an accidental shooting.

The young man was arrested but released Tuesday as the Itasca County Attorney's Office reviews the case for possible charges in the death of Dallas J. Graciano in Squaw Lake, a small town between Round Lake and Natures Lake.

Graciano, of rural Deer River, and the 18-year-old both played for the Deer River High School football team as seniors.

A caller to 911 told the Sheriff's Office late Saturday morning that an 18-year-old "accidentally shot" his friend, according to authorities.

Graciano was dead when deputies arrived at the home on E. Natures Trail, the Sheriff's Office said.

Graciano was "very well liked by everyone, students and staff," said School District Superintendent Matt Grose. "His loss has affected our whole community. He was a hardworking young man who went out of his way to make others feel good about themselves and had a positive outlook on life."

The senior class numbers a little more than 50, and Grose described them as "a very tight group of kids."

Paul Walsh