ARLINGTON, Texas -- A man was shot and critically injured during an altercation at a tailgate party in a parking lot outside the stadium where the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots played on Sunday, police said.

Arlington police spokesman Christopher Cook said officers were alerted to a fight in a parking lot of the NFL stadium. They heard a gunshot as they arrived and found a man in his early 40s injured. The man was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later flown by helicopter to a hospital in Fort Worth for treatment.

The suspected shooter apparently fell while attempting to flee, was injured and was also taken to the hospital, Cook said. The suspect was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and will be jailed once he is released from the hospital.

The incident happened about 90 minutes after the game had ended, but many fans remained and there were numerous witnesses, Cook said.

"There were still a lot of people who were tailgating after the game," he said.

The Cowboys lost the game to the Patriots. The Texas Rangers were also playing at the time in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays on the other side of the grounds.

Cook said the cause of the fight was not immediately known. The identities of the two men have not been released.