The State Fair of Texas opened four hours later than usual on Sunday following a shooting on the fairgrounds the previous night that left three people injured and one in custody.
Police identified 22-year-old Cameron Turner as the suspected shooter. He has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is currently being held at Dallas County jail on a combined $1.5 million bond, according to jail records.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, shots rang out at the fair not long before 8 p.m., prompting an evacuation order and a warning by the Dallas Police Department to avoid the area.
“Dallas Police responded to a shooting at the Tower Building at the State Fair of Texas. … Three people were shot, all have non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect ran from the scene, but officers located the man and took him into custody,” DPD wrote on its crime blog.
The department said the gun involved in the shooting had been found and that the victims comprised two adult males and one adult female, noting that all three were in stable condition.
“The State Fair of Texas is a treasured event — a celebration of food, family, and fun. Although this incident was isolated, I am outraged that anyone would choose to act out violently at the Fair. We will not tolerate this behavior,” wrote Mayor Eric Johnson in a post on social media.
A string of videos showing throngs of fairgoers attempting to leave the fairgrounds were posted online, showing hundreds of people attempting to escape the event.
“The State Fair of Texas team is deeply saddened by the incident last night on the fairgrounds. Safety is the number one priority of the State Fair of Texas. We are committed to upholding the level of security required to ensure the State Fair of Texas event is a safe and family-friendly environment for all fairgoers, vendors, and employees. … We ask that everyone remain ‘Fair Aware.’ If you see something that doesn’t look right on the fairgrounds, please say something to a uniformed police officer or State Fair Safety Team member,” the State Fair of Texas said in a statement.
While aggravated assaults have dipped in Dallas over the last couple of years, murders are up by 10% year over year in 2023, with 198 criminal homicides logged by DPD as of October 13, according to the City of Dallas crime overview dashboard.
DPD has been dealing with a staffing shortage for some years now, with the department currently fielding fewer than 3,200 officers. A City analysis states a city the size of Dallas should have about 4,000 officers on staff to properly maintain public safety.
Downtown Dallas has been especially impacted by the shortage, regularly logging higher crime rates than Fort Worth’s downtown area. The latter is reportedly patrolled by a special neighborhood police unit and private security officers.
The State Fair is being held at Fair Park, which is located just east of Downtown in Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s District 7.
