A suspect has been apprehended for the death of two Black men at a Texas A&M University-Commerce homecoming party.
According to WFAA, Brandon Gonzales of Greenville, Texas was taken into custody as the man who allegedly opened fired at the off-campus party. Kevin Berry Jr. of Dallas and Byron Craven Jr. of Arlington were the two 23-year-olds killed in the incident. Meanwhile, 12 people were injured.
Gonzales was apprehended Monday, less thank 48 hours after the Saturday shooting, according to Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks. He was arrested at the auto dealership where he worked and he was processed into the Hunt County jail on a charge of capital murder for multiple individuals. Gonzales’ bond was set at $1 million.
The tragic incident occurred around midnight on Saturday in Greenville, Texas. While Gonzales admits that he was at the party, he maintains that he’s innocent of the crime. The 23-year-old father of three told WFAA that he was dressed as a security guard. “I have a vest,” he said. “It looks bulletproof, but it doesn’t have the plates in there though.”
Despite Gonzales’ outfit, he says he wasn’t inside The Party Venue when a shooter opened fire. Gonzales claims he was in a car outside the venue and he says he has a witness who can corroborate his story.
Sheriff Meeks said investigators identified Gonzales as the alleged shooter after “pushing and pushing until people finally started coming forward.” He claims authorities think Gonzales went to the venue to target a specific individual, the first victim shot, and then he started shooting into the crowd.
Gonzales said that he never had any run-ins with the Hunt County authorities until now, aside from a minor traffic incident over the summer. Authorities have not disclosed a motivation nor discovered the weapon used in the shooting. They’re continuing to investigate.
As of Monday afternoon, five people are still in the hospital with one patient in critical condition. Officials say that at the time of the incident, 750 people were inside the venue, which is located about 20 miles from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
TAMUC confirmed that four of the 12 people injured during the incident were students at the institution. The students were taken in and later released from local hospitals.
— Benjamin Young Savage (ᐱᓐᒋᐱᓐ) (@benjancewicz) October 16, 2019
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3. Anthony Hill, 26
Former Officer Robert Olsen killed Anthony Hill over four years ago and was finally convicted (not of murder). Will get get the Amber Guyger treatment? #AnthonyHillhttps://t.co/HZVf3tOEOL
Two lawyers representing the estate of 54-year-old Eric Logan, who was shot and killed by a South Bend police officer, have sued that officer, Sgt. Ryan O'Neill and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
This is Jaquavion Slaton, the 20-year-old who was was shot & killed by Fort Worth Police on Sunday. Community demanding release of body camera video, but FWPD hasn’t said when/if that will happen. #WFAApic.twitter.com/iakQyWrRCl
The young man who was killed by a Dallas police officer in his own apartment this morning has been identified as 26-year-old Botham Jean. He worked at the PwC firm in Downtown Dallas. https://t.co/oyjHMdMXVvpic.twitter.com/uSvJWJ062e
The kind and well-loved Robert Lawrence White was gunned down, unarmed, by a Montgomery County police officer. Now his family faces not only this traumatic... https://t.co/Xbrq1PdNdq
Patrick Harmon was shot and killed by police in Salt Lake City, Utah. The district attorney says the shooting was "legally justified." pic.twitter.com/zYBOwlTzRb
Friends and family of Jonathan Heart aka Sky Young, a young #homeless man killed last Sunday at a Walgreens in #Hollywood for allegedly shoplifting, gather tonight to remember the 20-year-old. pic.twitter.com/uiMRiFnutq
Continue reading 67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
UPDATED: 9:54 a.m. EDT, November 16, 2019 --
Police shooting and killing Black males is all but a centuries-old American tradition among law enforcement in the U.S. But the fact that this apparent rite of police passage was still thriving in 2019 and expected to continue well into 2020 and beyond should give any American citizen pause as more and more names of Black males continue to be added to a growing list of victims with what seems like a new shooting every week.
READ MORE: Police Shootings And The Public Execution Of Black People
Other victims' names include, but certainly, aren't limited to: Tamir Rice; Botham Shem Jean; E.J. Bradford; and Michael Brown.
As NewsOne continues covering these shootings that so often go ignored by mainstream media, the below running list Black men and boys who have been shot and killed by police under suspicious circumstances can serve as a tragic reminder of the danger they face upon being born into a world of hate that branded them as suspects since birth.