Crowds continue on last day of fair despite shooting

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — The S.C. State Fair wrapped-up its 12-day run Sunday, with big crowds in attendance, despite a shooting the night before. Columbia mom Shavetta Velton came out to spend a fun afternoon with her children. Her 14-year-old son was at the fair when the shooting happened. “First thing I did was text him and text the adult that he was with; is everything fine?” Velton’s son was okay. Someone else’s son was not. Deputies say a 15-year-old, who had been shot, was taken to Palmetto Health Richland where he was last reported to be in stable condition. “That’s why we’re here early in the morning so we can make sure we enjoy the fair with our family, before nightfall comes, because I want to be home in the safety of my house by evening time,” Velton says. South Carolina State Fair general manager Gary Goodman says security is a top priority. “This is a situation that our community deals with every single day,” he says. Visitors must walk through metal detectors. All bags are searched. The fair says surveillance cameras were recording for the entire length of the event. “We do our best to keep it as safe as possible, and we’ll continue to do that with the deputies we have on the grounds patrolling,” Goodman says. Fair policy requires that anyone younger than 18 be accompanied by a parent after 6 p.m. Concealed weapons are not allowed. “The community is very supporting and knows that we do everything we possibly can to keep this safe,” Goodman says. Sumter resident Steven Thomas is satisfied with the rules in place. “Bad things happen every day, but I’m still going to come out and enjoy the fair with my kids,” he says. Velton says she does not think they’re enough. “But I have a hard time understanding how they were able to make it through the metal detectors and get inside of the fair.” Fair officials closed admission gates for the night after the incident. They reopened them Sunday at noon.