Three people have been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at a Texas flea market, including one of the suspected shooters, police said Tuesday.
Three children and two adults were shot to death Sunday at Cole’s Flea Market in the Houston suburb of Pearland, while a 10-year-old boy later died at a hospital.
The others who were shot were also hospitalized, while one of them was later released. The shooting occurred after an argument between two people who did not know each other, authorities said.
Pearland police said 19-year-old David Negrete, who they were looking for after charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Monday, turned himself in to authorities Tuesday morning.
On Monday evening, Pearland police announced that two individuals – Cruz Meza and Julianna Espino, both 18 years old – were each charged with tampering with evidence and making a false statement to an officer.
Meza was one of five people shot Sunday, police said.
David Negrete. 19, (photo) turned himself in on Tuesday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the mass shooting at Cole’s Flea Market in Texas on Sunday
Julianna Espino, 18, (pictured) was charged with tampering with evidence and making a false statement to an officer
Cruz Meza, 18, (pictured) was charged with tampering with evidence and making a false statement to an officer
Both Meza and Espino were being held at the Brazoria County Detention Center. Jail records did not list an attorney for Meza or Espino.
Police said three of the people shot – the 10-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and a 37-year-old man – were innocent bystanders caught in the incident.
Before Meza was arrested, police said they were investigating whether he was involved in the shooting. Police were also investigating whether a 16-year-old boy who was shot was also involved in the shooting.
On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that authorities were offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Pearland is located about 21 miles south of Houston.
The horrors unfolded Sunday afternoon around 5:34 p.m. during a mass shooting at Cole’s Flea Market in the Houston suburb of Pearland.
Pearland Police Department officers were dispatched to the area when they heard shots.
The five victims injured in the mass attack were subsequently located and taken to local hospitals, where the ten-year-old boy was pronounced dead.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that two Hispanic male subjects were involved in the altercation,” the Pearland Police Department news release said.
They also revealed that at least two guns were found at the scene, but the number of bullets fired is still unknown.
“We believe there are at least one, if not two, other people who actually had handguns and who fired firearms at the scene.
“There are possibly three suspects,” Rogers said.
Two witnesses told police they saw two men in an altercation before the chaotic scene began.
The 14-year-old girl and the 37-year-old man were both taken to hospital in stable condition and the man has since been released.
The two teenage victims underwent surgery and detectives tried to determine if they were involved in the incident.
Rogers said the shooting did not target the flea market and was caused by an argument between two men.
“This is not something that happens in Pearland. It is extremely tragic when anyone is a victim of gun violence, especially in our community. This doesn’t happen here in Pearland,” he said.
Cole’s Antique Village & Flea Market in Pearland, Texas is the scene of Sunday’s mass shooting
Houston police cars blocked access to Main Street near Sam Houston Parkway during Sunday’s mass shooting at the Texas flea market
Chad Rogers, public information officer for the Pearland Police Department, provides a statement to the media following a shooting outside Cole’s Antique Village and Flea Market, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Pearland, Texas, near Houston. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Officers from the Pearland Police Department in Texas had issued an arrest warrant for a 19-year-old suspect who killed a child and injured four others in the massacre.
Police said Negrete was wanted on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was considered armed and dangerous.
He was identified through surveillance footage and interviews with witnesses and victims.
The 19-year-old has also been added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Governor Abbot said that “Texas mourns the loss of a precious child after yesterday’s devastating tragedy in Pearland, and our thoughts are with the four other victims in the hospital as they recover from their injuries.”
The Pearland Police Department has stated that this is an ongoing investigation by their Criminal Investigations Division.