JONESBORO, Ark. — Crowds were sent into a panic after what sounded like gunfire erupted Saturday night at the fairgrounds in Jonesboro.
Following multiple reports of shots heard, the latest update from JPD is that there are no victims reported, and they’ve been unable to confirm that shots were fired at the NEA District Fair.
NEA resident Jon Moore was at the fair with his kids when the chaos erupted.
“I’m standing there with the kids, and we just got off the Fireball,” Moore told NEA Report. “As we’re walking down there, I hear ‘pow pow pow pow…pow pow…’ I honestly didn’t put it together until I look and see this crowd of people, their faces are panic. They’re running as fast as they can, all ages, shoving each other, dust kicking up. I’m like ‘Oh God,’ once I see a lady’s kids almost get trampled. I kind of blocked and got these kids behind us, and where we heard the shooting and let all the people who were too panicked to think clearly to get on out.”
Moore said it sounded like gunshots to him. He said it was “loud like what a gun is,” and not like fireworks.
As he left, he said he witnessed no less than nine JPD patrol cars responding to the scene.
An officer working the desk at JPD confirmed to NEA Report officers were responding to multiple reports of shots heard around 10 PM.
JPD Public Information Official Sally Smith said as of 10:30 PM, there were no victims located. Thus far, officers had not located evidence that would confirm a shooting, such as shell casings.
Several ambulances responded because of possible injuries to people during the panic that occurred, Smith said.
Smith indicated the fair would close for the evening, to her understanding, but several said the fair continued operating.
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I’m on the news I’m so tuff
The fair stayed open till 11 I was riding rides after all the crazy folks ran off the lines were short I asked an official with the police department and they determined it was a fence not shooting. Folks need to slow down people could have gotten really hurt with all the running and pushing for no reason.
It was not for no reason? When we left and went to the main entrance we heard shooting inside, and saying they are crazy is insensitive, you would be scared too
If you say that the people running were crazy you’re not paying attention to what is happening in the world. If you see a group of people running towards the exit screaming “He’s shooting” you run too. I tried to have compassion for the people around me who were also scared and confused, but I’ve literally never been more terrified. This should not have happened. People should not be this terrified to be in crowded areas that it caused this big of a panic. This is not normal.
Agreed. I don’t understand why people say it was balloons, it was genuinely terrifying