PATRICK FORD

NEWS EDITOR

A man was injured following a shooting at the Okmulgee Fairgrounds early Sunday morning.

The shooting at the site was during an afterparty, according to the Okmulgee County Sheriff ’s Office.

The sheriff ’s office responded to the shooting around 1 a.m., with Okmulgee police officers also responding to the scene.

The investigation was hampered due to the amount of people at the fairgrounds and many left the area once the shooting started.

Okmulgee County Chief Deputy Smokey Patchin said a man was shot several times and was taken to the hospital where he has life threatening injuries.

Patchin said multiple shooters are believed to be involved and several shell casings were collected at the scene.

Several hundred people were reported to be in attendance when the shooting happened. Very little information was received as to who was involved in the shooting. One person was arrested on a misdemeanor complaint of Obstructing an Officer at the scene.

On Sunday, the Okmulgee County Commissioners and members of the Okmulgee County Fair Board visited the fairgrounds and assessed the damage.

Numerous holes were found in the exhibit hall, where glass was shattered in a display case, and the animal stalls were covered with holes in the walls and the ceiling. A window in the Commissioners’ Building shattered due to a gunshot.

The amount of shots fired is unknown, according to Patchin, with numerous found. Fortunately, no other injuries or deaths were reported besides the one male subject that was transported to the hospital.

Patchin stated the victim was scheduled for another surgery Monday afternoon, with the hopes of recovering bullet fragments related to the shooting. According to an OSU representative, the citizen that rented the facility has done so many times before with no problems, and they were not at the scene when the shooting began, as they were at the rodeo area located at the Omniplex taking care of animals.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Okmulgee County Sheriff ’s Office at 918516-8332 (leave a message) or OCSinfo@okmulgeecounty. gov.