County Fair in Indiana Canceled After 150 People Storm Entrance, Leading to Fights and Shots Fired

Amid increasing cases of COVID-19 on the rise in the state of Indiana, the Marion County Fair canceled the last day of its week-long event on Sunday following a shooting that broke out the night before between several guests, injuring two, including a teenage boy and a deputy sheriff. In an official statement from organizers posted to their official website, officials stated they would cancel the last day of the Indianapolis fair over the “safety of the public first.”

In a report from the Indy Star, the incident started at around 8:40 p.m. ET Saturday night when an estimated 100 to 150 people had rushed the admission gate, forcing their way inside. In the incident, one 17-year-old boy was shot, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy was left injured, and multiple people were arrested after a series of fights that escalated to gunfire broke out.

The teenage boy was reported to have been hospitalized and is in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, per Indianapolis Metropolitan PD. A juvenile female also suffered abrasion injuries from an apparent wound. The deputy who was also injured sustained minor wounds during the disorder when pepper spray was utilized to attain crowd control.

Authorities state multiple guns were recovered from the scene, though no arrests have been declared in connection to the shooting. However, several persons of interest were detained and questioned.

While footage and photographs from the crowds at the Marion County Fair clearly show social distancing not in place among eventgoers — many of whom are not wearing face masks to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19 — social media chimed in after reports via the Indy Star surfaced Sunday from the Indiana State Department of Health, showing a significant increase in cases with an additional 927 cases and two deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the state total to 56,571 cases and 2,629 deaths.

“Damn so they cancelled (sic) the Marion County Fair here not because of COViD, but because of a shooting? …Kay,” one Twitter user wrote. “Should have never opened in the first place, It’s not like we’re in a PANDEMIC or anything.” Meanwhile, another user posited that “Marion County Indiana, the hardest hit with Coronavirus Covid-19, requires masks and social distancing but yet has a County Fair, it’s not about a virus is it?”

The increase reported on Sunday is the first time more than 900 new cases have been reported in Indiana in a single day since April 27, when 963 new cases were reported.