INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis father said he was “gripped with fear” after a shooting at the Marion County Fair Saturday which sent two teens to the hospital.
Marvin, who didn’t want us to use his last name, said he brought his 12-year-old son, 15-year-old daughter, her friend and his nephew to the fair. They arrived right before officials closed the gates due to capacity restrictions. While waiting to go in, Marvin noticed groups of teens going around the fence and sneaking in.
Minutes later, fights began to break out. He said he called his children and headed toward the exit.
“Kids came running from everywhere, and there were fights everywhere. They were running over little kids and running over elderly people,” he said.
Moments later, he heard gunshots.
“So I start frantically screaming for my son, my daughter and my nephew and my daughter’s friend, and I saw them hiding behind a building,” Marvin said. “You just didn’t know what to do, you didn’t know if you should move or if you should stay there. It is just something I never experienced in my lifetime.”
Police said many of the teens at the fair that night were there without parents. Fair officials are considering new rules for next year, mandating that teens be accompanied by an adult in order to enter.
“I care about my city. I care about our youth in our city, and I just want us to get this under control,” Marvin said.
The Marion County Fair was canceled on Sunday after the shooting.
The sheriff's office said numerous juveniles were arrested, and multiple guns have been recovered from the scene.