Suspect in custody after shooting at State Fair of Texas prompted evacuation

Three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting at the State Fair of Texas on Saturday night in Dallas, police said.

A suspect who ran away was captured by officers and taken into custody, along with a gun that might have been used in the attack, said Dallas Police Department Sr. Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez.

Exact conditions for the injured were unavailable.

The attack prompted authorities and organizers to evacuate Dallas’ Fair Park, southeast of downtown, on the kind of busy weekend night that can draw more than 100,000 fairgoers.

Gunfire erupted about 7:45 p.m. at the fair’s food court, also known as the Tower Building, named for its key Art Deco feature.

“One man shot at another man,” Gutierrez said at a news conference. “Three people were shot.”

It wasn’t clear how two others were struck, a matter to be probed by investigators, she said.

City Council member Adam Bazaldua said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the attack was “sparked from a conflict between two people who knew each other.”

Organizers asked those outside the fairgrounds to avoid the area.

The fair drew a record crowd last year — more than 2.5 million for its entire run. Saturdays and Sundays sometimes each often far surpassed the 100,000 attendee mark last year, according to state fair data.

The fair will reopen Sunday at 2 p.m. C.T. and is scheduled to run through next weekend.