Chaos erupted at Carowinds, in Charlotte, North Carolina after reports of a suspected shooting. A video was shared where people can be seen fleeing from the amusement park.

One individual, on Twitter, tagged Medic911Press – which provides pre-hospital emergency care in Mecklenburg County – and asked, “Hello! Are you responding to a shooting at Carowinds? Any injures or transports?” 

Another person referred to the 407-acre amusement park, and said “Damn! These kids can’t even goto Scarowinds without ppl shooting”. 

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They added that they were praying for everyone there. 

Yet another individual expressed shock, tweeting “NOT THEM SHOOTING AT CAROWINds wtf”. 

Berkley Pait, a person on Twitter – presumably at the scene – posted photos of a search helicopter at Carowinds. Meanwhile, Brien Blakely – a reporter for WJZY Fox – said, “friends with kids there say shooting happened”. 

Amid multiple online reports of a shooting, one Twitter user claimed that there were no shots fired. Instead, a fight broke out and someone yelled gun.

This was corroborated by another individual, who tweeted, “No shooting, just left. Kids acting a fool, fighting and causing panic.”

The amusement park released a statement which makes no mention of gunfire but says there was unruly behaviour prompting the need for an evacuation.

However, many on Twitter – claiming to be present at the scene – have said that the amusement park is just trying to cover their bases and dissipate the gun scare, and have asserted that there was a shooting there. 

Carowinds amusement park is located adjacent to Interstate 77. It straddles the North and South Carolina state line. It was announced on October 10, 1969, and planned as a resort which would include theme parks, hotels, and even an NFL stadium. However, the amusement park opened its gates on March 31, 1973, after numerous delays due to weather. The name is a portmanteau of Carolinas and winds. 

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While North Carolina has some strong gun safety laws in place, like the need for a criminal background check before the sale of a firearm, South Carolina’s laws are relatively weak. There’s no Extreme Risk Law in place either, which would let individuals or authorities petition for the removal of a gun from a dangerous situation. 

However, as per the Carowinds site, guns are not allowed onto the premises. The code of conduct states, “Carrying firearms, ammunition, knives, and weapons of any kind and any other prohibited item. Carowinds reserves the right to prohibit any items at their discretion.”