Texas Deputy, Firefighter Among 3 Shot At Tri-State Fair And Rodeo

Amarillo, TX – A Potter County deputy and a local firefighter were among three people shot by a gunman at the Tri-State Fair and Rodeo on Monday night, according to investigators.

Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas said the attack occurred shortly before 11 p.m. on Sept. 19, KVII reported.

A group of off-duty Potter County deputies were working at the community event when a gunman suddenly opened fire on them, Sheriff Thomas said.

Three people were hit.

“[The] male suspect opened fire on the deputies, striking a deputy and an off-duty firefighter, also working at the fair, and a bystander,” Sheriff Thomas said, according to ABC News.

The scene immediately turned chaotic as fairgoers scrambled to avoid the gunfire.

“People started running and screaming,” one witness told KVII.

Breaking: reports of shooting at Tri-State Fair in Amarillo. No information at this time. One witness describing the chaos: “People started running and screaming.” @ABC7Amarillo pic.twitter.com/dCfplelOvg

— Mitchell Downing (@DowningMitchell) September 20, 2022

Jonathan Archer said his father was working at a concession stand at the time of the attack and told him he saw a deputy lying on the ground just before he and his workers were told to take cover.

“He said it was just chaos whenever it happened,” Archer told KVII.

Sheriff Thomas said additional deputies returned fire, hitting the suspect and bringing the attack to an end, ABC News reported.

The unidentified gunman was transported to the hospital with injuries the sheriff described as being life-threatening.

The wounded firefighter, deputy, and bystander were also transported to the hospital for treatment, ABC News reported.

All three victims are expected to recover.

Sheriff Thomas did not release the victims’ identities.

The motive for the incident was unknown.

The Texas Rangers are handling the ongoing investigation into the attack, ABC News reported.

This is a developing story and we will keep you updated. For all of our updates, follow us on Facebook and go to your news feed preferences under your settings, then select that you want to see more of The Police Tribune’s posts in your news feed. Otherwise, Facebook may not show you updates.