State Fair of Texas shooting: Shooter listens to victim impact statements
State Fair shooting suspect listens to victim in trial
State Fair of Texas shooter Cameron Turner listened to victim impact statements on Tuesday. Turner, 23, pleaded guilty in connection to the shooting on Monday ahead of his trial. Three people were injured in the shooting in October 2023.
DALLAS - Those affected by the shooting at the State Fair of Texas in 2023 got the chance to address the shooter directly on Tuesday.
Cameron Turner was arrested after three people were injured in the October 2023 shooting.
Turner, 23, pleaded guilty to an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge on Monday just before jury selection in his trial was about to begin.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with credit for the nearly two years he has already served since being arrested.
He must serve at least six years before he's eligible for parole.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: State Fair shooting suspect told cops he was threatened
Arrest affidavits obtained by FOX 4 are shedding new light on what happened leading up to the shooting at the State Fair of Texas that injured three people over the weekend.
Victim impact statements
What they're saying:
One of Tuner's victims addressed him in court on Tuesday morning with help from a Spanish to English translator.
Andrea Silva was part of the custodial staff at the State Fair of Texas. She was cleaning near a concession stand in the food court when she felt a sharp pain in her back. She then realized she had been shot.
The 42-year-old said the bullet barely missed her right lung. Fragments also hit her hands and leg.
"You don't know how much more damage you could have caused over there where there was so many people. And you don't know the damage that you have caused us," she said.
State Fair of Texas shooting victims confront gunman
The victims of the 2023 State Fair of Texas shooting are given the chance in court to share how the crime has impacted their lives. The gunman, 23-year-old Cameron Turner, accepted a plea deal on Monday in exchange for 12 years in prison.
Silva said she is still affected physically and mentally because of the shooting.
"Sometimes I don't even sleep. There are things that… everything that I lived in that moment comes to me at the moment," she said.
Silva's husband, Pedro Ortega, also gave a victim impact statement. He said he and his family moved to Dallas with a lot of dreams, but those dreams have been put on hold because of the shooting.
"And truly, my wife has been affected psychologically and mentally," he said. "Dealing with this entire situation for me as a husband has been difficult."
He said his wife has not been the same since the shooting and gets nervous in large crowds.
State Fair of Texas Shooting
RAW: Chaos after shooting at State Fair of Texas
There was mass chaos for fairgoers after shots rang out at the State Fair of Texas.
The backstory:
Turner was arrested in October of 2023 for a shooting at the State Fair of Texas that injured three people.
According to the arrest affidavit, video shows the shooting while Turner was at a concession stand inside the food court.
A group of males approached him. When Turner turned to leave, there was some sort of verbal argument between Turner and one of the victims.
That’s when police said Turner pulled out a handgun and began shooting. The report said the victim had nothing in his hands at the time.
Cameron Turner
Turner later told people that he felt threatened and went into "survival mode," firing three to four times.
The shots hit the man and, in the process, hit two other people. They all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Turner said he was trying to protect his family.
Prosecutors said the video did not match up with that story.
The Source: Information in this article comes from arrest documents for Cameron Turner, Dallas Police Department, Dallas County court documents and the State Fair of Texas.