Law enforcement will be more visible for the duration of MontanaFair following Monday night’s shooting incident on the Midway that left a man with a gunshot wound to the leg.
MetraPark General Manager Tim Goodridge says public safety is the top priority.
“We do all the planning and hate to have an event that actually occurs that shows the planning works and it really did last night because the sheriff's deputies were on the scene so quickly that the whole thing was taken care of in minutes," Goodridge said.
Goodridge praised the work of law enforcement.
“They contained it all. Everybody was fine. And now they are going to even deploy more law enforcement resources over the duration of the fair to make sure that everybody has a safe and happy time down here," he said.
Related: Witnesses describe chaotic scene after MontanaFair shooting in Billings
Goodridge says they can’t take the same precautions on the fairgrounds with metal detectors and bag searches that they do with events inside the arena.
“It’s a different situation when you are out on the fairgrounds. And that’s why our plan is a little different than what it is with the arena, and that’s why we have worked it out with the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement to make sure that we have good protection down here,"he said.
Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder told Q2 News that he does not believe the shooting was a random act and indications are that those involved were well acquainted with each other.
“There are no arrests right now but we have been able to make contact with some of the people we have been looking for so we are getting statements, we are talking to witnesses, we are hoping that we will be able to piece things together and determine exactly what happened,” says Linder.
The sheriff says starting Tuesday there will be more officers on the grounds both in uniform and undercover.
