LEBANON, Tenn.- The
biggest and one of the most popular fairs in Tennessee ended with nearby
gunfire. Just as hundreds of people were leaving the Wilson County Fair Friday,
night shots were fired, and a bullet grazed one man.
Despite the shooting
incident Friday night, the crowds were still flocking to the Wilson County fair
on Saturday. Each night thousands of people potentially will attend the Wilson
County Fair. Officials said on a weekend like this weekend when the weather is
nice, up to 100,000 people could come in and out of the fair.
Police want the public to
know there are 17 mobile cameras set up on the fairgrounds, and they say it is
still a safe place to go. They are patrolling the area to keep everyone safe,
and on Saturday night, police said they would stay even later to be sure
everyone leaves the premises safely.
"This is the first time I've
ever encountered any kind of a call of that nature. Even though it didn't occur
on the grounds, just in the area, it's the first time we ever had a scare like
that," one of the officers said about Friday night's shooting.
Several police officers
and sheriff's deputies, along with cameras with bird's eye view are in place
to protect fair-goers.
Attendance for the fair
Friday night was a little more than 29,000. Organizers say that's down 30 percent
from last year. They blame a mix of rain and the start of High School football.
