The horrific story:
A fight broke out at the fairgrounds, west of West Palm Beach, shortly after midnight Sunday, sparking the shooting that injured a girl and a boy, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
The victims were taken to the hospital with injuries that are not life threatening. The girl has since been released from the hospital, but the boy was still being treated for several gunshot wounds Monday evening at St. Mary’s Medical Center, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.
Authorities have released few details about the suspected shooter or why he pulled out a gun. Deputies locked down the sprawling fairgrounds on Southern Boulevard, keeping thousands of people from leaving the fair for up to an hour. During that time, deputies hunted the shooter, whom they described only as a man dressed in black.
The fairgrounds was packed when the fight erupted near Gate 2, on the northeast side of the fair. Online news readers commented about people “screaming in terror” as they ran from the scene. No one else was injured and the fairgoers left safely when the lockdown was lifted.
And now, the backlash:
The sign that greets South Florida Fair visitors lists a lot of things that aren’t allowed, and weapons are one of the items listed, but organizers said there aren’t any checks done to make sure weapons aren’t brought in.
“We’ve never employed bag searches or pat downs or magnetometers or anything like that at the fair,” Vymlatil said.
When asked why, Vymlatil answered there hasn’t ever been a reason to, but after the shooting now there may be a reason.
It seems the South Florida Fair is hesitant to implement any drastic repercussions, but it’s still a sad, sad day when fair organizers are forced to consider metal detectors at the gates…
