According to the Dallas Police Department, officers responded to Fair Park after a large crowd came running out of the gate, saying there was an active shooter.
DALLAS — The State of Fair of Texas closed an hour early Friday night due to fairgoers trying to “create chaos” and crowds fearing that shots had been fired on the fairgrounds, officials say.
According to the Dallas Police Department, officers responded to Fair Park after a large crowd came running out of the gate around 8:50 p.m.
Video and photos circulating on social media showed people running and hiding throughout the fairgrounds while panicked and unsure of what was going on. Other social media users openly claimed to have firsthand heard gunshots at the fair.
But when officers investigated the incident, they determined there was no active shooter and no shots were fired.
There were also no injuries reported, officials said.
Karissa Condoianis, a spokesperson for the fair, told WFAA that some fairgoers were “trying to create chaos” by running through the fairgrounds.
Shortly after the commotion, the spokesperson said, things were back to normal on the midway and throughout the fairgrounds, with people again lining up for rides and food stalls.
Still, due to the incident, the fair closed its daily operations an hour earlier than usual on Friday, shutting down at 10 p.m. as opposed to 11 p.m.