It was a chaotic close to the Minnesota State Fair as a pedestrian was struck by a car and three men were wounded by gunfire, according to St. Paul police.
A fight broke out about 10:20 p.m. Monday outside the main gates and a 19-year-old woman was hit by a vehicle, police spokesman Steve Linders said. She was taken to Regions Hospital where she was in critical condition, he added.
The driver of the car that struck the woman stopped, but when people started beating his vehicle he drove to another location and called police, Linders said. He’s cooperating with the investigation and did not seem to be impaired, police said.
As officers were investigating the incident, gunfire could be heard nearby.
“There were a lot of officers there and that’s when they heard shots ring out,” Linders said. “Several gunshots are reported. As our officers do, they ran toward the gunfire” to look for anyone injured, and find the person or people responsible.
They found a man suffering from a gunshot wound about a block south of the crash scene. A short time later a man, also with a gunshot wound, arrived at United Hospital and said he was shot outside the fair gates. Another injured man showed up at Regions Hospital.
A 20-year-old was shot in the stomach or groin area, another 20-year-old man was shot in the hand and an 18-year-old was shot in the shoulder, authorities said. No arrests have been made in the shootings, Linders said.
“We’re lucky more people weren’t injured or killed,” he said.
Police said they’re investigating whether the injury to the pedestrian and the shootings are related.
Regions Hospital was temporarily placed on lockdown early Tuesday morning as confrontations broke out between family members of at least one of the victims.
Gov. Tim Walz addressed the violence in a tweet on Tuesday morning.
“The State Fair is called the Great Minnesota Get-Together for a reason: it brings communities across the state together,” he wrote. “Last night, that sense of community was taken by gun violence. I am praying for the Minnesotans affected and their families.”
The beginning of the 11-day fair was also marred by injuries when two tour buses collided near the fairgrounds Aug. 22. Eight people were sent to the hospital, three with serious injuries.
