A man was critically injured and required emergency reconstructive surgery after being brutally attacked by a group of individuals at the Minnesota State Fair. Sammy Kimbrough, 45, was left with multiple fractures to his jaw following the late-night assault on September 5, 2026.
Kimbrough was attending the closing weekend of the fair with friends and his fiancée when the incident occurred. He and two others had separated from their main group and were exploring the fairgrounds when Kimbrough accidentally bumped into someone in a larger group of eight to 12 people. According to his fiancée, Heather Hoffman, a verbal altercation ensued, and Kimbrough was then punched. As he fell to the ground, others in the group began stomping on his face.
"What should have been an insignificant moment escalated into something unimaginable," Hoffman wrote on Facebook. "The group attacked him, knocking him unconscious and kicking him in the face after he had fallen."
Kimbrough was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he underwent emergency surgery. Surgeons placed plates and screws to repair the significant fracture on the right side of his jaw and several smaller fractures on the front left side. His mouth was bandaged shut with bands to hold the jaw in place as it heals. He was hospitalized for two days before being discharged.
"Once that fracture heals enough for him to open his mouth, he then will have very extensive dental surgery as he has a whole lot of broken, knocked out and loose teeth in his mouth because of this," Hoffman told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Kimbrough himself stated on Facebook that he anticipates a long recovery.
The Minnesota State Fair police confirmed the assault occurred Saturday night. As of the time of the report, no arrests have been made. Hoffman stated her intention to pursue charges to the fullest extent of the law once those responsible are identified.
The Minnesota State Fair, which ran from August 27 to Labor Day, is billed as the largest fair in the state. It was open daily until 11 p.m. during its run.