SALEM, Va. – THURSDAY 1:02 P.M. UPDATE
The boy charged in connection with Wednesday night’s shooting at the Salem Fair now faces five charges.
Police have charged him with two counts of malicious wounding, two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
They have not released his exact age, only the fact that he’s younger than 16 years old.
[Kids at the Salem Fair now need an adult chaperone, 3 other changes after Wednesday’s shooting]
Police also announced Thursday that the suspected shooter didn’t know either of his victims and neither victim knew each other.
One victim was a juvenile, while the other was a man.
The victim with non-life-threatening injuries was treated at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and has since been released.
The other victim, who police said suffered serious injuries, remains in the hospital in stable condition.
Police did not clarify whether it’s the juvenile or the man who remains hospitalized.
WEDNESDAY 11:40 P.M. UPDATE
Two people are in the hospital after Salem Fair’s opening night on Wednesday turned into a crime scene.
At about 8:57 p.m., Salem Police Officers heard shots fired on the fairgrounds and saw a suspect with a gun, leading to a chase.
Police said a boy under the age of 16 is now in custody.
Officers located two victims who were transported to Carilion for treatment. Authorities said one victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and the other sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The fairgrounds were closed shortly after the incident happened.
Police said this is an ongoing investigation.
The Salem Police Department is asking any eyewitnesses to provide anonymous info by calling 540-375-3083.
ORIGINAL STORY
Two shots were fired at the Salem Fair Wednesday night, according to a Salem City spokesperson.
Wednesday marked the opening of the fair and crowds of people were in attendance.
At this moment, it’s unclear if the shots were fired on the fairgrounds or in the parking lot, but the fairgrounds closed early and authorities sent guests home.
Mindy Fausey, who attended with her family, shared a video to Facebook that shows police telling people to exit the area. Yellow crime scene tape wrapped up around rides can also be seen in the video.
A witness spoke to 10 News about what he saw Wednesday night.
“I heard about three or four gunshots and I just heard everyone, shots fired, and they all dipped. Like everyone ran, I took my kids and ran. I saw the cops come and it looked like they had someone in handcuffs and it looked like he was limping,” said witness, Anthony Valenzuela.
Police have been unable to confirm if there’s a victim.
It’s also unclear if police have made any arrests or why the shooting happened.
Fair officials say they’re working to gather all the facts and should have more information for us in the coming hours.
Stay with 10 News for this breaking story.