One year after three people were shot during the State Fair of Texas, the alleged shooter has yet to go to trial, one of the victims has filed a lawsuit and new security measures have been implemented at the fair to much controversy.
On Oct. 14, 2023, gunfire erupted about 7:45 p.m., instantly transforming a night of fun at “the most Texan place on earth” to chaos. Three people were wounded and hundreds fled Fair Park.
Videos posted online showed the chaos unfold on the fairgrounds as people ran to seek shelter, with some screaming for their children.
It was the first shooting at the fair since 1988.
Awaiting trial
The alleged shooter, 23-year-old Cameron Turner, is still awaiting trial on multiple charges. He claimed self-defense during his police interview.
Turner’s hearing has been postponed to early 2025, according to court documents. Turner faces three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, classified as second-degree felonies, and one count of unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited location.
Earlier this year, a Dallas County judge reduced his bail from $1.6 million to $350,000.
His attorney did not return a call Monday seeking comment.
Turner was taken into custody on Oct. 14, shortly after two men and a woman were shot around 7:45 p.m. inside the Tower Building at Fair Park, where the food court is located.
Police noted that Turner fled the scene but was apprehended soon after, and the handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered.
In the arrest-warrant affidavit, an officer reported that Turner said he was trying to “protect his family,” and that a group of men approached, which led him to “go into defensive mode and fire” three or four shots.
The shooting prompted an immediate evacuation of Fair Park, and the fair delayed its opening the following day by four hours before returning to normal operations for the rest of its 2023 run.
The victims
Andrea Liliana Araujo, one of the injured individuals, and her husband, Pedro Ortega, have filed a lawsuit against Turner and two companies responsible for the fair’s security, alleging negligence. Araujo was working with a cleaning crew at the fair when she was shot.
Araujo told The Dallas Morning News after the shooting that she was struck in the right arm and right side of her back, and bullet fragments hit her arm and both calves.
Araujo and Ortega, who was working in another area of the fair at the time of the shooting, suffered emotional distress, according to the lawsuit. The bullets are still in Araujo because the surgeon hasn’t been able to safely remove them, the lawsuit added, noting she has “a lifetime of pain” and “a permanently impaired body.”
The two other victims have not been publicly identified.
According to the attorney for the couple, the gunman passed through security screening with a semi-automatic pistol in his hoodie.
Dallas police and fair officials have said they were investigating how the gun was brought into Fair Park.
The lawsuit alleges that a security guard service, Andy Frain Services, had no video surveillance at the entry point. It also says GXC, Inc. — which supplies weapon detection systems — may have failed to detect the gun and alert personnel.
The couple is seeking $1 million.
How the security changed
In response to the shooting, the fair implemented new security measures this year.
Firearms are now prohibited on the grounds, with exceptions for elected, appointed, or employed peace officers.
This rule has withstood multiple attempts by state Attorney General Ken Paxton to block it, with the Texas Supreme Court rejecting his latest effort.
The fair added a 24-hour command center for event oversight, incident notification, tracking and resolution, according to a statement from fair officials.
A curfew also returned for those age 17 and under. After 5 p.m., minors must enter the fair with an adult 21 years old or older.
Other changes to fair security include a bag size policy, a redesigned entry and a 24-hour security command center.
The fair continues to use an open gate system for weapon detection technology, which is provided by GXC. It detects dense metal like knives or guns as people walk past. It doesn’t require guests to empty their pockets or take off their bags.
It also now requires bags and soft-shell coolers to be 9 inches by 10 inches by 12 inches or smaller, with exceptions for medical and parenting bags, fair officials said.
This year, the State Fair runs Sept. 27 to Oct. 20 and is expected to attract over 2 million visitors.
Staff writers Kelli Smith and Lilly Kersh contributed to this report.