A shooting occurred shortly after 10 p.m. near the intersection of Carnes Avenue and Liggett Street near the Midway entrance, fair officials said. One victim was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. The exhibit began closing at about 10:20 p.m., a spokesman said. When the gunshot rang out, about a dozen officers were within 15 to 20 feet of where the shooting erupted, Minnesota State Police Chief Ron Knafla said during a news conference Sunday morning. “I think it’s important to note that the officers who responded and were part of the State Fair Police Department, the Minnesota State Patrol, did an excellent job of controlling a very, very chaotic scene,” he said. “And I can’t say enough good things about the job they did last night.” The victim was shot once in the leg, Knafla said. The gunman has not been arrested, he said. Officials said the victim was the shooter’s target, not a bystander. John Harrington, the state’s public safety commissioner, said the state patrol will double its presence at the fair for the remainder of the fair, which ends Monday. Harrington said officials did not know how the gun got into the showroom. “You can expect to see a very strong police presence today,” Harrington said. “I’m sure that once again, we’re tracking it the right way. That actually, the fact that we were so close to those people in that crowd is the reason we didn’t have further violence.” Gov. Tim Walz thanked the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting. Even though there were multiple officers and hundreds of people around, Walz said the suspect still fired a gun. “There should be incredibly harsh consequences for this,” he said. “I’m just thankful that we didn’t seriously injure anyone in this, that the people involved knew each other obviously and were at odds over this.” The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation.
