Shooting at Labor Day Festival in Missouri Sees Four People Gunned Down

At least four people have been gunned down at a Missouri Labor Day festival, according to police.

Officers raced to the Santa Cali Gon festival in Independence on Sunday night following reports of a shooting involving multiple people.

In a statement shared on its Twitter account, the Independence Police Department said: "Officers are on the scene of a shooting in the carnival area of Santa Cali Gon.

"Currently three victims. This is a fluid situation and more information will be forthcoming."

Police also shared a post on Facebook asking parents to immediately pick up their children due to "an emergency at the carnival."

The department also dismissed rumors there had been multiple shootings in the area and said there had only been one in the evening.

A further statement on Twitter, also shared on Sunday night, added police would hold a press conference around 1 a.m. local time at 111 E Maple City Hall lot to discuss the shooting.

In a later statement sent to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Independence Police Department said the victims were youths and had been taken to hospital.

The statement continued: "Officers working the carnival area of the festival advised of shots being fired in the carnival at 11:00 p.m. last night.

"Upon further investigation, four juvenile victims were located with non-life-threatening injuries. They were all transported to area hospitals.

"The suspect fled on foot and is still at large at this time. It is unknown what started the altercation that led to the shooting."

The decades-long-running Santa Cali Gon festival has previously drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors over Labor Day weekends, with many enjoying numerous attractions and activities.

It was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and fears that it would be "impossible" to maintain social distancing.

Independence Chamber of Commerce Chair Sonci Bleckinger told KSHB in 2020: "With an annual attendance of over 300,000, being able to provide adequate social distancing, sanitation, and public health support in a festival environment was going to be impossible to achieve."

This is a developing story.