What was supposed to be a joyous occasion turned into horror and violence as gunshots were fired during a Juneteenth celebration.
Two people were killed and 14 others were injured at the holiday event on Saturday night in Round Rock, Texas. The violence began at 10:50 p.m. between two groups of people attending the event, according to the Round Rock Police Department. The motive for the shooting was still unknown, and police did not have anyone in custody as of Sunday night.
The Round Rock Police Department issued a press release on X on Sunday night regarding the shooting.
“Round Rock Police have confirmed that 14 victims were transported to local hospitals with gunshot wounds, and two were declared deceased at the scene following a shooting at Old Settlers Park during Round Rock’s annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 15th,” the press release said.
“The Round Rock Police Department is actively searching for a suspect in connection with the shooting,” the press release noted. “The suspect is described as a black male with a thin build, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, short dreadlocks, and wearing a white hoodie at the time of the incident.”
Detectives were still talking to the victims’ families throughout Sunday, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The Round Rock Police Department announced it will not release the names of the deceased victims until Monday.
“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,” Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said.
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Banks said an investigation into the shooting was ongoing. He explained the “operations plan” for the Juneteenth celebration, stating that more than 22 police department officials worked the event. As part of the plan, law enforcement officials were situated in various positions throughout the park that hosted the event, including some located in surveillance towers, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Local fire departments and emergency medical service personnel were also on the scene.
“The bottom line is, regardless of the amount of security we had, we had somebody who decided to take matters in their own hands and kill two people and injure 14 other people senselessly,” Banks said. “This isn’t about the police. It’s about those folks who are careless and could care less about somebody else’s life.”
