For decades, the State Fair of Texas has been known as a safe, family-friendly place to celebrate the Lone Star State, watch football, play games on the Midway, and eat creative fried foods. I am.
But the event, which draws more than 2 million visitors to Dallas each year, hasn't always had that reputation, and one incident this year brought back memories of past fairs.
On Oct. 14 at approximately 7:45 p.m., three people were injured in a shooting at the food court of the Tower Building in Fair Park. The suspect, 22-year-old Cameron Turner, was arrested almost immediately on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Among the many questions raised by the shooting, including how did the gun get into the park, are people wondering if something like this has happened at the State Fair of Texas for more than 130 years? I wondered when was the last time it happened.
according to dallas morning news According to archives, it has been about 35 years since a similar shooting occurred at the fairgrounds.
An even more serious incident at the fair on October 22, 1988, left one person dead and three others shot, including a police officer.
The shooting at the 96th annual trade show in 1988 culminated in a night of escalating violence that included fights and the confiscation of handguns, said Richard Schiffelbein, deputy chief of fair security, in October 1988. I mentioned this in an article dated the 23rd. news.
“It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before,” Schiffelbein said. “It was like a movie. I've never seen so much fear on so many people's faces in my life. I was going to close the park.”
On the final Friday of the fair, the crowd thickened by the time the football game at the Cotton Bowl ended at 6 p.m.
Around this time, a 14-year-old boy was arrested with a gun in his pocket after a scuffle. “Change your mood” within 2 hours[ed] Things got tense as other battles took place and more weapons were discovered.
Three other gunmen were arrested after multiple fights broke out at Cotton Bowl Plaza between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m. Unlike the current weapons policy in place at the fair, which allows those with a valid handgun license to carry concealed weapons in certain areas of the fairgrounds, carrying weapons was not allowed in 1988. Ta.
As the deputy tried to tell park officials to close early, shots rang out during a scuffle in a restroom near the Midway River, causing chaos.
Bobby Joe Neighbors shot the man in the chest and fled to Midway. He then shot and killed a bystander who tried to stop him from escaping, and then he shot a police officer in the finger who tried to take his gun. Eventually he exchanged gunfire with an off-duty police officer. The man shot Nabors multiple times in the chest and arms.
Nabors was taken to a hospital where he later died. The other injured persons survived.
Police said after the shooting that Nabors was involved in, others opened fire as people ducked and rushed toward the exits. By midnight, the fairgrounds had been emptied, but thousands of people filled the nearby intersection of Grand Avenue and Karam Boulevard.
More than an hour later, more shots were fired from a McDonald's near the intersection as officers in riot gear tried to disperse the crowd.
By 2am, the people had finally disappeared.
The fair continued to operate for the remaining two days of the 1988 season. No additional shootings were reported, but several people were arrested for bringing handguns to the fairgrounds.
Schiffelbein told the newspaper: Everyone else has it. ”
“Until then [the shootings] Police on Friday deemed this year's State Fair one of the safest events in recent memory, with crime numbers down 26% compared to 1987. ” the article said. “The only violent crime reported during the first 14 days of the fair was a robbery at knifepoint.”
After its most violent period in 1985, when one man was stabbed to death and another shot dead, security at the venue was tightened in 1986. Police said at the time that multiple violent crimes were reported during the 1985 fair, including rape, stabbing, robbery and assault of two teenage girls.
The 1988 trade show had already seen some change, with new people taking over most of the trade show's top leadership positions, but major changes were on the horizon, particularly to security and the culture of the event.
While the fair is proud of its tradition, the event has evolved over the years and has seen multiple changes and advancements in safety measures since the 1988 mass shooting.
said Errol McCoy, who was in his first year as president of the Texas State Fair in 1988. news In a recent interview, he said he wanted to make about 20 changes to security and events after the shooting. He said organizers want the community to know the fair is safe and feel safe attending.
He and others studied the Texas State Fair to see where and when the most problematic incidents occurred. They investigated how security is handled at fairs elsewhere, such as the Los Angeles County Fair.
The major changes include installing additional fencing around the Expo site, cutting off alcohol sales at 10pm (the Expo used to stay open much later), and increasing the spacing between locations where beer can be purchased. This included things like vacating. Organizers also placed police officers prominently on elevated platforms and utilized mounted patrolmen, who have not previously played a major role in policing the event, although horses are kept in stables at Fair Park.
To spread out the crowds and crowds, the fair expanded from 17 days to 24 days and changed some programs and hours to make weekday participation more attractive.
It also introduced more family-friendly programming, targeting an audience that the fair had not previously prioritized.
“Slowly but surely, attendance started to increase and we started seeing strollers in visible numbers,” McCoy said, a nod to the large number of families that make up the fair's current attendance. Ta.
McCoy said his background in theme parks, including more than 20 years as executive vice president at Six Flags, helped him implement changes and implement top-notch security measures.
“I believe that because of what we did then, and with the latest security additions, the State Fair of Texas now has a security program and system in place that is on par with most major theme parks across the country, including Disney.” he said.
said Karissa Condoiannis, a spokeswoman for the Texas State Fair. news An investigation is underway into how the suspect brought the gun into the venue without a license last month, the email said.
Condoiannis said the Office of Integrity has provided all information to Dallas police and will defer to authorities for updates on the investigation. Dallas police said the investigation is ongoing.
This year's fair used a new system to screen people entering the fair park. Manufactured by Italy-based CEIA, the Opengate security detection system uses two lightweight portable towers to detect threats carried by people passing through them. Even after last month's shooting, a contractor providing metal detectors previously said: news He is 100% sure that the weapon would have alerted the fair's protection systems.
Looking to future trade shows, event officials evaluate all aspects of the safety and security program each year, and typically begin coordinating details with the Dallas Police Department in February, Condoiannis said.
“Although the incident that occurred on October 14, 2023 did not involve any fair attendees with a Lawful Transport License (LTC), DPD’s management, board of directors, and partners have “I can assure you that we have and will continue to take similar steps,” she said. “We plan to deepen our discussions on this topic and take a deeper look at LTC policy to determine our path forward.”
Some Dallas residents, including Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua, who represents the area that includes Fair Park, have called for weapons to be banned from Fair Park.
No policy changes or additional security measures have been determined for the 2024 State Fair of Texas, but any changes will be announced prior to the event.
“Safety is our top priority,” Condoiannis said. “We are always looking for ways to continue to make the State Fair of Texas the safest environment possible for our visitors, employees, and vendors.”
