A night out at the Minnesota State Fair turned into a terrifying ordeal for 45-year-old Sammy Kimbrough after he was allegedly beaten unconscious by a group of young men, leaving him with multiple jaw fractures and requiring emergency reconstructive surgery.
Kimbrough was attending the fair in St. Paul on Saturday night with his fiancée, Heather Hoffman, and friends when a seemingly minor encounter escalated into a violent attack.
“Last night, Sammy was brutally assaulted by a group of young men in a completely senseless act of violence,” Hoffman wrote on Facebook Sunday.
She described her fiancé as one of the most “laid-back, kind-hearted, and non-confrontational” people she knows, saying the attack had been difficult for everyone close to him to understand.
Sammy Kimbrough with his fianceé Heather Hoffman before he was attacked at the Minnesota State Fair and critically injured on Sept. 5, 2026.Facebook / Heather Hoffman
A brief encounter turned violent
Kimbrough and two others had separated from their larger group to explore the 322-acre fairgrounds when he accidentally bumped into another person who was part of a group of roughly eight to 12 people.
According to Hoffman, the man became aggressive and began arguing with Kimbrough.
“Sammy had tried to say, ‘Excuse me,’ ‘Back up,’ when he then got punched,” she told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Another person then struck Kimbrough, knocking him to the ground. Hoffman said several others joined in, allegedly kicking and stomping his face against the pavement.
Family friend Kira Roland described the incident as a senseless escalation from what should have been an insignificant moment.
“The group attacked him, knocking him unconscious and kicking him in the face after he had fallen,” Roland wrote in a GoFundMe appeal.
Multiple fractures and emergency surgery
Kimbrough was left unconscious and bleeding from the mouth. Roland said he suffered a significant fracture on the right side of his jaw, along with several smaller fractures toward the front left side.
He was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where doctors performed emergency surgery and inserted plates and screws to stabilize his jaw.
He remained hospitalized for two days before being discharged Tuesday.
The injuries were severe enough that doctors had to bandage his mouth shut and use bands to keep his jaw in position while it heals.
Hoffman said Kimbrough will also face extensive dental treatment because many of his teeth were broken, knocked out or loosened during the attack.
The Minnesota State Fair ran from Aug. 27 to Labor Day and was open daily until 11 p.m.Reuters
‘It’ll be a long recovery!’
Despite the ordeal, Kimbrough remained optimistic about his recovery.
“It’ll be a long recovery!” he wrote on Facebook. “I’ll be back to normal in no time!”
His fiancée said the surgery went well and that he was preparing to begin the lengthy healing process.
Meanwhile, the alleged attackers remain at large.
State Fair police confirmed that the assault occurred Saturday night, but no arrests had been made as of the report.
“As of right now, the people responsible have not been caught,” Hoffman said. “When they are identified, we will absolutely be pursuing charges to the fullest extent of the law.”
“There is no excuse for this kind of violence,” she added. “Those responsible will be held accountable for what they have done.”
The Minnesota State Fair ran from Aug. 27 through Labor Day and was open each day until 11 p.m.
