UPDATE #2: Contrary to recent stories, the witness in this report is standing by what he stated. It was NOT a shotgun as is now being widely reported and was definitely IN the hands of a law enforcement officer when the rifle in question went off.
At the Dixie Gun and Knife show held at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC, an eyewitness account by Ryan Reynolds reports to me that the incident was actually an accident by a police officer charged with clearing weapons at the entrance to the event. The incident occurred at approximately 1 p.m. today and Reynolds states that he was only about 10 feet away when it happened.
There were 2 people injured as the bullet is said to have gone through the shoulder of one man and then ended-up hitting a woman behind him. Both of the people injured were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
In the confusion, the event was abruptly canceled and the building immediately evacuated, probably leaving many to wonder what really even took place there today. Some local media accounts were suggesting that the shot was fired by a customer to the gun show but that appears to be completely untrue.
It is unclear at this time whether the gun show will resume on Sunday as this was supposed to be a weekend-long event and highly anticipated by many. Ironically, a website featuring the event displayed the motto, "We never cancel."
It is very unfortunate that 2 people were accidentally injured, especially by someone that was supposed to be keeping them safe. However, with all the anti-gun paranoia flooding the airwaves, maybe the authorities on the ground should have made a thorough assessment of the situation before canceling the entire day's activities. This was an accident and not the case of a crazed gunman gone wild. For the sake of all the people that have traveled long distances to attend this event, hopefully some common sense will usher in and this major gun show will rightfully be re-opened soon.
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