WOODBRIDGE, Va. — The Kiwanis Karnival has been an annual tradition for the past 20 years in Woodbridge while offering rides and fun for families. However, on Friday night, the parking lot outside the event became the site of a shooting that injured a 14-year-old girl.
According to the Prince William County Police Department, multiple shots were fired just after 9:15 p.m. in the parking lot of Gar-Field High School after a verbal altercation occurred between two groups.
A 14-year-old girl was shot in the abdomen during the violence and was rushed to the hospital. Investigators said they expected the girl to recover.
"It was just tons of teenagers and parents with their kids," Austin Green, who attended the carnival with his girlfriend on Friday night, said in and interview with WUSA9. "As we were getting on the ride, that’s when we heard the shots ring out. One second everyone is kind of frozen, then the next thing you see everybody running back towards the parking lot.”
At first, Green and others wondering if the popping sounds they were hearing came from fireworks or car exhaust. However, after seeing the police response, he soon knew something dangerous had happened.
"You see Prince William police walking around with semi-automatic rifles. You’re like, 'Wow what is going on? Is there an active shooter?'" he said. "You think of funnel cakes and fried Oreos. You don’t think of gunfire.”
By Saturday evening, the carnival had largely returned back to normal.
Groups of customers waited in lines as people on rides shouted. Funnel cake could be smelt while walking around. Lights at game stations flashed as children asked parents for extra tickets.
However, some who attended noticed extra police officers keeping an eye on the carnival.
"Even before you get a ticket, they’re standing here. I saw four at the entrance," said Margaret Okomah, who brought her children to the Kiwanis Karnival Saturday. "At least I know that there are a lot of police officers here.”
"They have a lot of police everywhere," said another carnival goer. "Almost every station has at least one or two police.”
According to the Kiwanis Club of Woodbridge, six off-duty Prince William County police officers patrolled the carnival during the time of Friday's shooting.
A member added that the event serves as the group's primary fundraiser for the year.
After experiencing the shooting, Green said he remained shocked violence could hit so close to a fun gathering.
"You never know what it was over but nothing is worth shooting someone over," he said. "Some kids might be too scared to ever go to a carnival again.”
There were reports from witnesses on a possible suspect fleeing the scene towards Smoketown Road after the shooting occurred, according to police.
A car that was not involved in the altercation was struck by a bullet while the driver was leaving the carnival but the driver was not injured, according to police.
Police say that the suspect is described to be a Black male that could possibly be a teenager wearing a red hoodie, black pants, and white shoes.