Nine teens are shot and injured at an after-prom party in Texas as police launch an investigation
- A group of nine teens were gunned down early Sunday at an after-prom party in Jasper, Texas; there will now be more police presence at the high school
- None of the injuries were life-threatening, but eight people were taken to hospital
- Jasper High School held its Saturday night prom in a church conference room, with the shooting occurring at an after party
Nine teens were gunned down early Sunday morning at an after-prom party in Jasper, Texas, sparking what will be an increased police presence at the city’s high school.
None of the gunshot wounds were life-threatening, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that offered few other details about the shooting at a home in Jasper, a town of about 7,200 people about 130 miles northeast of Houston.
The victims were taken to two hospitals, the sheriff’s office said, without specifying the number of gunmen.
Deputies believe there were about 250 teenagers at the party.
Eight of the victims were taken by personal vehicles to Jasper Memorial Hospital and some were transferred to Christ St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont for further treatment, the sheriff’s office said.
A group of nine teens were gunned down early Sunday at an after-prom party in Jasper, Texas; there will now be more police presence at the high school
Jasper County Sheriff Mitchel Newman and Chief Deputy Scott Duncan are pictured at a Sunday news conference
“This investigation is ongoing and interested people are being interviewed,” the statement said.
The victims ranged in age from 15 to 19, KBMT-KJAC television news reported.
Jasper High School held its prom, a right-of-way for U.S. high schools, on Saturday night in a church hall, the news station reported.
Jasper Independent School District superintendent John Seybold pledged full cooperation with any law enforcement investigation “to bring these perpetrators to justice.”
“We would first like to express our prayers for those injured early Sunday morning in the shooting that took place north of the city. There will be a much greater law enforcement presence this week to ensure student safety, as well as counselors on hand for students who need their assistance,” Seybold said in the statement as reported by local media.
Just a week ago, four people were shot dead and 32 wounded at an Alabama “Sweet 16” birthday party in the small town of Dadeville.
Investigators on Thursday charged a sixth person with reckless murder in connection with that shooting.
A makeshift memorial has been erected at the scene of the deadly shooting at a dance studio in Dadeville, Alabama, on Wednesday
Candles with the names of the four young people killed in a shooting and teddy bears dressed in graduation caps stand outside the dance studio Mahogany Masterpiece on Wednesday
Investigators said in court documents filed Thursday they believe five of the accused attended the April 15 party and “unloaded firearms into the crowd,” resulting in the deaths of four people.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced Thursday night the arrest of a 15-year-old youth from Tuskegee, Alabama, the sixth person charged in the case, but court documents were not released due to the person’s age.
All six facing charges of reckless murder in connection with the fatal shooting, the state agency said.
Sweet 16’s birthday party, at a dance studio just off the town square, was in full swing when gunfire erupted. Investigators have not discussed a motive or what they believe led to the shooting.
The shooting killed four young people, ranging in age from 17 to 23, and shook the small East Alabama town of Dadeville. In addition to the four deaths, 32 others were injured, four of them critically.
Firearms have become the leading cause of death for American children and teens, surpassing motor vehicle accidents, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year.