One person was arrested after a shooting incident at the Lawton Fort Sill Freedom Festival on June 28, 2025. Although panic spread quickly, the event continued without injuries, according to police.

Incident and Police Response

The Lawton Police Department (LPD) said officers “quickly responded to reports of fireworks and possible gunfire” at Elmer Thomas Park. They confirmed that “one person was taken into custody” and noted that “the event continued safely with no injuries reported.”

Videos and Posts on Social Media

Soon after, videos of the chaos appeared online. One Facebook user posted a video on the “Lawton Grapevine” page that showed people running. In the caption, the user wrote, “Shooting at the park.”

Another person commented, “This is just so ridiculous. You go to an event to have fun and to be with the community and then people just start shooting. It’s crazy.”

Eyewitness Describes the Fear

Meanwhile, a mother described the terrifying moment she protected her children. She wrote, “Seriously!! You can’t even watch fireworks with your babies anymore without some stupid a** pos shooting a gun!!” She added, “We seen everyone running and I stopped accessed pushed my 7 yr old and 8 yr old under a pickup truck and my 8 month old infant and husband by a truck.” Although she didn’t hear more gunshots, she said, “I couldn’t find my niece for a second, scariest moment of my life… my children could have been hurt. I hate this world.”

Festival Resumed Despite Fear

Despite the shooting, officials allowed the festival to continue. Importantly, no injuries were reported, and police secured the area. So far, authorities have not released more information about the suspect or charges.