Fatal shooting at Texas park leaves 2 dead, 6 injured including children

THE Juneteenth celebration at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, Texas turned out be a nightmare as a shooting occurred late on Saturday which killed two and left six injuries, including two children, the Associated Press has reported.

The victims were shot shortly before 11 pm on Saturday during a Juneteenth celebration at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, about 19 miles (30 km) north of Austin.

Here's what happened

An altercation began between two groups during a concert at the event and someone started shooting, Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said during a news conference at the scene. He added that the two victims who were pronounced dead at the scene were not involved in the argument. The shooting occurred near a vendor area away from the stage set up for the concert, Allen said.

In a recent update on X from Round Rock Police, it said, “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.”

They added, “The Round Rock Police Department is actively searching for a suspect in connection with the shooting. 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.”

The Police further informed that the ATF is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the accused.

Earlier on Sunday, police said Sunday they did not have a suspect in custody and investigators did not know how many shooters were involved. “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,” Allen said as quoted by Associated Press.

Social media was also filled with reactions to the shooting incident. 

One user asked, “What laws, if tightened, would have prevented the shooting? I live in Texas, and know that murder is illegal.”

Another added, “Juneteenth is the celebration of the word getting to Texas that white Republicans ended slavery and how do they celebrate it by shooting each other?”

Some other added, “Third mass shooting in a park reported this weekend (Michigan & Texas the other two). intensifying isolation/people’s fears of gathering in public spaces by letting any nutcase own a gun seems like it would really suit the agenda of various authoritarian elites”

Meanwhile, just recently, several people were wounded in a shooting at a splash pad in Rochester Hills. As per AP report, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said there were “numerous wounded victims” after police were called for an active shooter. In a social media post, authorities said there was still an active crime scene and officers “potentially have the suspect contained nearby.”

Prior to this, On June 2, a mass shooting overnight in Akron (Ohio) left one person dead and at least 26 people injured, AP reported, citing local authorities. The report said the shooting—which happened after midnight near Kelly Avenue and 8th Avenue—killed a 27-year-old man, while at least 26 others were injured. The victims were transported to area hospitals.