Fayetteville Dogwood Festival resumes after reports of gunfire; investigation underway

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Dogwood Festival in Fayetteville was back in full swing on Sunday after a nearby shooting caused festivities to end early on Saturday night.

While that gunfire was scary for festival goers who were in attendance on Saturday, the focus on Sunday was back on all that the festival is to the community.

Organizers of the festival said they decided to open on Sunday because they did not want the previous night's situation to take away from all of the hard work that has gone into planning and executing the 43rd Annual Dogwood Festival.

Festival officials said the incident did not happen on the grounds of the event.

According to Fayetteville police, officers responded to the parking lot of the public library near Maiden Lane after reports of gunfire just after 8:30 p.m. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle with damage from gunfire.

Authorities said no injuries were reported.

Dogwood Festival officials posted a statement to social media.

"When the initial statement was released, it was intended to inform those already present of the situation. As part of our standard operating procedures, a public announcement is made immediately, and an evacuation of the park is conducted, which was done promptly.

When we state that the incident is "not within our footprint," it is to clarify that the situation is outside of our area of operations. As such, we, like the rest of the community, are awaiting further information from the appropriate authorities.

The safety of our guests, staff, and community is always our top priority. In certain situations, that means we can only share the information that has been verified and confirmed. If the situation were within our footprint, we would be able to provide more detailed updates accordingly.

Authorities are also investigating a second shooting that happened on Rowan and Ramsey Street shortly after the first incident.

Police have not said if the two shootings are connected.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective C. Cross (472) 210-2381 or Crimestoppers at (910) 483-TIPS (8477). Crimestoppers information can also be submitted electronically, by visiting http://fay-nccrimestoppers.org and completing the anonymous online tip sheet, or by downloading the FREE "P3 Tips" app available for Apple devices in the Apple App Store and available for Android devices in Google Play.