The man accused of shooting three people Saturday night at the State Fair of Texas told police he was acting to defend himself and his family, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
But an officer at the scene wrote that Cameron Turner was by himself when the shooting happened.
Turner, 22, is accused of shooting two men and a woman at about 7:45 p.m. in Fair Park’s Tower Building, which contains the food court. The victims have since been listed in stable condition.
Turner ran from the scene but was taken into custody by police soon after. The handgun believed to be used in the shooting was also recovered.
Turner was booked into the Dallas County jail early Sunday and faces three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond is set at $1.5 million, jail records show. It was unclear whether he had an attorney.
An officer wrote in the affidavit that Turner said “he was attempting to protect his family” when a group of men approached them and he “went into defensive mode and shot” three or four times.
Surveillance footage shows Turner purchasing a water bottle from one of the concession stands and when he turned around one of the victims was approaching him, the affidavit says.
“Both males stopped walking and appeared to exchange a few words,” before Turner brandished a gun and began shooting, the affidavit says. The shots struck the first victim and two others.
The officer wrote that Turner was by himself at the concession stand and that his family was not around.
Turner reiterated to detectives during a later interview that he “went into survival mode and felt threatened by the (man) so he shot him,” the affidavit says.
State Fair of Texas officials and Dallas police are still investigating how Turner was able to get a gun into the fair. The fair’s policy says generally no weapons are allowed, however, it also says concealed carry is allowed if an attendee has the proper license.
The shooting caused an evacuation of Fair Park, and the fair delayed its opening by four hours on Sunday. A large crowd still attended.
The fair returned to operating under its regular hours Monday.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
