DALLAS — In a statement issued early Sunday morning, the State Fair of Texas announced that it would delay opening its gates on Sunday until 2 p.m. following a shooting on the fairgrounds on Saturday night.
The fair's gates traditionally open at 10 a.m. on Sundays across its 24-day fall run in Dallas' Fair Park.
In a statement released on social media, State Fair officials said that all shows, attractions, and concerts will go on as scheduled. They also asked that attendees remain "Fair Aware" and to report anything suspicious to a uniformed police officer or a State Fair Safety Team member.
"Safety is the number one priority of the State Fair of Texas. We are committed to upholding the level of security required to ensure the State Fair of Texas event is a safe and family-friendly environment for all fairgoers, vendors, and employees. We look forward to welcoming guests today (Sunday, 10/15) starting at 2:00 p.m.," officials wrote in their statement.
The fairgrounds were evacuated Saturday night after police said three people were shot when a gunman fired off a weapon at the food court within the Tower Building at Fair Park at around 7:45 p.m.
Per the Dallas Police Department, preliminary investigations found one man shot at another man inside the food court. Three people were injured in the shooting, police said, and all three suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect ran from the scene but was later taken into custody, according to police, who also said a gun was recovered.
All four individuals involved in the incident have all been identified and the investigation is ongoing, police said. The relationship between the two men most directly involved in the shooting is not yet known by investigators, police said.
Also unclear is how the suspected shooter was able to bring a gun into the fairgrounds.
After teenagers caused a panic at the fair last year by running through the park, yelling about a hoax shooting, fair officials said increased security measures were in place this year to ensure a safer fairgoer experience.
Per fair officials, visitors this year have had to pass through a high-tech weapons detection system as they enter the grounds. Security towers installed at the fair are also designed to identify potential threats without slowing attendee ingress onto the grounds, fair officials said.
New security staff was also manning the gates this year, and fair officials said they were responsible for waving searching people flagged by weapons detectors. A number of Dallas police officers, both in uniform and in plain clothes, are additionally placed throughout the park for added security.
Dallas Police Department Deputy Chief Teena Schultz previously said a department tactical team also spends "eight or nine months" planning for the fair every year, and engage in tabletop exercises with fair employees and Dallas Fire Rescue personnel.
A new rule was also instituted for this year's fair to turn away minors at the fair's entrance after 5 p.m. unless they are accompanied by someone 21 years old or older.