DALLAS — The bond for the man accused of shooting and injuring three people at the State Fair of Texas on Oct. 14 was reduced from a total of $1.6 million to a total of $350,000 after a bond hearing this week, court records show.
Jail records show that Cameron Turner, 22, faces three charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawfully carrying a weapon in prohibited places in connection with the Oct. 14 shooting inside the food court at the fair.
Turner's bond amount was previously $500,000 for each of the three aggravated assaults with deadly weapon charges, plus $100,000 for the unlawfully carrying a weapon in prohibited places charge, for a combined bond amount totaling $1.6 million, according to Dallas County Jail records.
But court records show that Turner’s bond was reduced this week to $100,000 for each aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, and to $50,000 for the unlawfully carrying a weapon in prohibited places charge, which combines for a total bond amount of $350,000.
Dallas County Criminal District Court Judge Nancy Mulder, who oversaw the change in Turner's bond amount, told WFAA that Turner has no criminal history, and during the bond hearing his family testified that they cannot post even the lowered amount.
Per the constitution, bonds are not to be used as punishment or to keep someone in jail. Their amounts are determined through weighing the risk of a defendant continuing to commit criminal acts before the start of their trial.
Should Turner make bond, Mulder said, he will be given an electronic monitor and placed under house arrest while awaiting his day in court.
An affidavit released by Dallas Police in October revealed that Turner told officers he was trying to protect his family when he was approached by “a group of big males” at a State Fair of Texas food court. He said he then went into “defense mode” and fired three to four shots at the men approaching him, per the affidavit.
His gunfire struck three victims, identified at the time by police as Cade Kelly, Stephen Wright, and Andrea Silva.
Turner then fled from the scene before being arrested by two state troopers who were working at the fair and a Dallas police officer, officials said at the time.
Following the Oct. 14 incident, which not only sent fairgoers into a panic but also resulted in an early closure of the fair, the event's safety protocols were also called into question -- particularly surrounding how Turner got a gun into the fairgrounds.