11 teens were injured when shots were fired at an after-prom party in Texas. Police say a second shooting may be connected
By Christina Maxouris, Michelle Watson and Zoe Sottile, CNN
Eleven teenagers were injured in a shooting at an after-prom party in Texas over the weekend — and a second shooting less than 20 minutes away may be connected, authorities said.
Deputies from the Jasper County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance at a home north of Jasper just after midnight on Sunday, the agency said in a Facebook post.
Deputies initially found nine people with non-life-threatening injuries, the post said Sunday. A total of 11 teens eventually were found to have been injured by gunfire, officials said in a news conference on Tuesday.
The ages of the victims range from 15 to 19, officials said Tuesday. Three still were in a hospital Tuesday, officials said. Details about their conditions were not available.
“What should have been a special evening unfortunately turned into a tragic event that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons,” Jasper County District Attorney Anne Pickle said in Tuesday’s news conference.
The violence is the latest in a relentless series of shootings in America, many of which have taken the lives of or seriously injured young people.
Mass shootings have escalated, occurring at a record pace nationwide. At least 172 have been reported so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
On April 15, four young people were killed — including a beloved high school football player — and at least 32 others were hurt during a Sweet 16 birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama. The ages of the four who were killed ranged from 17 to 23.
At least six people — including four teenagers — have been arrested and face murder charges in the massacre, Alabama authorities have said.
Texas authorities interviewing people of interest
Following the Texas after-prom party shooting, at least eight victims were taken to a nearby hospital by personal cars and some victims were transferred to a hospital in Beaumont for further treatment, authorities said.
While authorities have not yet identified a motive for the shooting, they were interviewing several witnesses and people of interest, the sheriff’s office said in a Sunday evening news release.
The sheriff’s office said it is also investigating another shooting that occurred just miles away, adding there may be a “possible connection” between the two.
Authorities did not offer further details about the second incident.
Jasper is in eastern Texas, roughly 30 minutes west of the Texas-Louisiana border.
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