17-year-old arrested in mass shooting at Texas Juneteenth celebration that left 2 dead and 14 injured
By Paradise Afshar, Melissa Alonso, Jamiel Lynch and Eric Levenson, CNN
(CNN) — A 17-year-old was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Thursday morning in this weekend’s mass shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock, Texas, which left two people dead and 14 others injured, according to police.
The teenager, Ricky Thompson III, was arrested at about 7:30 a.m. in nearby Pflugerville, Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said. He is currently held without bond at the Williamson County Jail in Georgetown, Texas. Jail records do not list his attorney.
He has no criminal history and is the suspect who police had said was wearing a white hoodie at the time of the shooting. Thompson was not the only shooter at the event, and he and others could face further charges, the chief said.
“We are still looking for other suspects and continuing to gather all evidence, we’ll continue to talk to witnesses, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to bring everybody involved to justice,” Banks said.
The arrest comes days after the shooting Saturday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. An altercation broke out between two groups, and “several subjects” pulled out guns and shot at each other, Banks said.
A large crowd was at the event at the time and “multiple victims were hit,” the chief said at an earlier news conference. Officers who were at the event responded and began rendering aid, Banks said.
Austin-Travis County EMS said earlier first responders transported six people, including two children, to local trauma facilities, “all with potentially serious injuries.”
Lyndsey Vicknair, a 33-year-old from Manor, and Ara Duke, a 54-year-old from Pflugerville, were killed, police said. Neither was involved in the altercation.
“It breaks your heart for a family that was coming out to enjoy their evening and now their life is forever changed as a result of somebody who could care less about somebody else’s life and that’s so disappointing,” Banks said.
“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects involved in this incident,” according to the update Sunday evening.
The Juneteenth Festival at Old Settlers Park on Saturday night featured musical performances by different artists, according to the Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department’s Facebook page. Round Rock is about 20 miles north of Austin.
Banks said the park was closed for the duration of the morning on Father’s Day.
There have been at least 14 mass shootings over the weekend from Friday through Sunday, according to the Gun Violence Archive, leaving nine people dead and wounding 74 others.
Like CNN, the Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as where four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
This story has been updated with additional information.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
