Tragedy struck at a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock, Texas, when gunshots rang out, leaving two people dead and 14 others injured. The shooting occurred on Saturday night at 10:50 p.m. between two groups of attendees, with the motive still unknown and no arrests made as of Sunday night.
The Round Rock Police Department released a statement on Sunday night confirming that 14 victims were transported to local hospitals with gunshot wounds, and two were pronounced dead at the scene.
The police department is actively searching for a suspect described as a black male with a thin build, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, short dreadlocks, and wearing a white hoodie.
Detectives were still interviewing the victim’s families on Sunday, while the police department announced it would not release the names of the deceased victims until Monday. Police Chief Allen Banks expressed his condolences, stating, “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.”
Banks added that an investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and the “operations plan” for the Juneteenth celebration included more than 22 police department officials working the event. Law enforcement officials were stationed throughout the park, including surveillance towers, with local fire departments and EMS personnel also on the scene.
“This isn’t about the police,” Banks said. “It’s about those folks who are careless and could care less about somebody else’s life. 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.”
