A gunman shot three people Monday night at the Tri-State Fair & Rodeo before being shot and wounded by sheriff’s deputies, according to authorities.
Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas said the shooting is under investigation, but reported a fight happened between two people, and one young man ran away causing a chase to begin with some officers.
The man opened fire on offduty Potter County deputies at the fair just before 11 p.m., according to Thomas, striking a deputy and off-duty firefighter and a bystander.
Deputies returned fire, wounding the suspect.
The deputy, firefighter and bystander were transported to the hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries and are reported to be doing well. The gunman was taken to the hospital with injuries described as life-threatening.
According to witnesses who said they were nearby during the shooting, it was “pure chaos,” and several vehicles were hit by bullets.
The names of the victims or the suspect had been released at the time of this writing, nor was any motive for the shooting, which is being investigated by the Texas Rangers.
Organizers of the Tri-State Fair published an update on social media following the shooting the fair would be closed until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, when normal operating hours would resume.
Additional security measures were put in place at gates and on the grounds, to include wanding procedures. All walkthrough traffic will occur at Gates 1 and 4.
The Tri-State Fair & Rodeo is the largest annual event in the Texas Panhandle, with an average of 130,000 people in attendance, according to the fair's website.