Expect more cops at Sarasota County Fair after shooting, police say

An 18-year man was shot at the Sarasota County Fair on Saturday evening. The shooter is not in custody, but investigators do not believe it was “an active shooter situation,” Sarasota police said.

The shooting happened just before 10 p.m. at the fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd.

“Sarasota police detectives have no evidence to believe this was a random encounter between the shooter and victim,” police said in a news release.

Police later said that they believe an altercation between two groups of people at the fair led to the shooting.

The victim sustained serious injuries and underwent surgery on Sunday morning, police said. He was in stable condition on Sunday afternoon. No other injuries related to the incident were reported.

“There is no evidence that the shooting was an active shooter situation and there is no direct threat to the public,” the news release states.

Anyone with video of what happened or any other information can call the Sarasota Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 941-263-6070.

Police step up security for remainder of fair

The Sarasota Police Department will take “a more proactive role” in security for the rest of the Sarasota County Fair, the agency said in a news release on Sunday afternoon.

The fair was scheduled to operate normal hours on Sunday, and the police department was working with with fair organizers to increase security measures for the remainder of the event, which is slated to run through March 28.

An increased number of police officers will patrol the fairgrounds, according to the police department, and a private security company contracted by the Sarasota County Fair Board will conduct searches of bags and check persons entering the fair with hand-held security devices. In addition to more officers, the police department said that it will also have more operations staff on site.

This story was originally published March 21, 2021 at 7:40 AM.