WALLER COUNTY, Texas — Seven people were wounded during a shooting at a trail ride pasture party held near Prairie View A&M University in Waller County Sunday night, according to the sheriff's office.
Caleb Pete, one of the event organizers, spoke to KHOU 11 News over the phone and said the nonprofit PV Trail Ride has hosted this event for three years now, but this was the first year they had a major incident. He's blaming the shooting on "bad apples."
At about 10 p.m., deputies received a call of shots fired on Cameron Road near FM 362. When they arrived at the scene, they found that four women, two men, and a juvenile male had been shot while attending the trail ride pasture party.
Investigators said the event was being held in conjunction with a Prairie View A&M homecoming party. They believe the shooting started as an argument that escalated when someone pulled out a gun and bystanders were shot.
Deputies said all of the victims suffered gunshot wounds to their lower extremities, with no known life-threatening injuries.
The event was held about two miles from the Buc-ee’s location on Highway 290, which became a staging area Sunday night. That is where victims were brought and flown to hospitals.
As of Monday, no arrests have been made.
Witness says he saw signs of security issues before the shooting started
Chad Burns attended the trail ride party on Sunday.
"It was probably one of the greatest events I've been to, but as the night went on, it kind of got wild," said Burns.
Burns heard the shots after 10 p.m. and instantly took cover.
"It was a panic," said Burns. "People scattered like roaches. They was gone."
Burns blames security for what happened.
Waller County Judge Trey Duhon confirmed his office approved the permit and said the attendees were required to be searched and wanded for weapons to enter the event.
"Security did not perform their duties," said Burns.
Burns told KHOU 11 News he didn't see any checks and even saw an attendee with a gun. He mentioned it to security who he claims ignored it.
"I told him that young man got a gun as big as me," said Burns. "He said he and hundreds of others got guns."
Burns is hoping arrests are made and someone is held accountable.
"You put hundreds of people's lives in danger at the trigger of a gun," said Burns.
Witnesses describe shooting at an event near Prairie View A&M
Emergency dispatch audio described the scene on FM 362 Sunday night.
“We’ve had multiple gunshot victims…we do have several EMS en route…,” Waller County Dispatch said over the radio. “Right of the stage…right of the stage…that’s where the victims are going to be at this time…”
KHOU 11 News talked to a woman who was there. She is not a student at Prairie View A&M but she said the event was the PV Homecoming Trail Ride and Concert, which the school said is "not an official University homecoming event."
“I was front row,” the woman said. “They were fighting. After they got done fighting a girl got shot.”
“People were running, stomping on people,” said Josh Tillery, a Waller County resident. “We were standing, and a girl walked up saying ‘I think I’ve been shot.’”
Tillery said hundreds parked illegally on the land he farms and that this event comes with trouble every year.
“What’s it going to take? Somebody to get shot every year to stop this?” he said. “This is crazy. It doesn’t even make sense.”
Prairie View A&M releases statement on shooting
Prairie View A&M released the following statement Monday morning in the incident:
"PVAMU is both saddened and troubled by the senseless act of violence that occurred in Waller County last night. Although this was not an official PVAMU homecoming event and was unaffiliated with the university, our campus community is deeply concerned for those injured and all affected by this incident. The Waller County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation."
Waller County sheriff says security protocols were not followed
On Sunday, the Waller County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook that the gathering was approved by the county judge and that the party promoter agreed to follow the judge’s instructions.
Investigators said they believe more than 1,000 people attended the event with the security being provided by the Waller County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office and another private security agency.
Investigators said the security protocols that were established by the permitting body and agreed upon by the promoter were not followed at the time of the shooting.
Editor's note: KHOU 11 previously reported that security protocols were followed, but the Waller County judge said they were not. See the statement from the judge below.
Waller County judge releases statement on shooting
Waller County Judge Trey Duhon released the following statement on the shooting near Prairie View A&M. He also outlined the conditions for the permit agreed to by organizers:
"Below is my statement in regards to last night’s shooting incident that occurred at a trail ride/concert event near Cameron Road & FM 362. The event coincided with PVAMU’s Homecoming weekend, but was not an official PVAMU event.
"First, since the incident is still under investigation, I will leave it to the WCSO’s office to provide information on exactly what happened at the event, and arrests related thereto. At this time, it appears that a fight at the event resulted in gunfire, injuring 7 people. This event was being held pursuant to a Mass Gathering Permit that I granted on Thursday, October 26th.
"We started enforcing Mass Gathering Permit over 3 years ago when we saw these events being held in pastures starting to become an issue, especially with incidents that have occurred in the past. The organizers for this event went through the proper steps in terms of filing an application for a mass gathering permit and a hearing on that permit application was held last Thursday October 26th at the Waller County Courthouse. In addition to county personnel, the event organizers attended the hearing and provided testimony, in addition to one of the nearby property owners that lives near the event location.
"The permit application was reviewed by multiple county departments, including but not limited to the Waller County Sheriff's Office, the Waller County Fire Marshal’s Office, and our Environmental Department. There were a number of conditions placed on the granting of the permit, including but not limited to, security requirements (35 security personnel, over 1/2 of which had to be licensed peace officers and the other half licensed security officers - although event organizers said that they were going to have 25 licensed peace officers at a minimum). All attendees were to be searched and wanded for weapons as they entered the event. Organizers were also required to comply with the Fire Marshal’s Report in regards to safety plan, fire inspection, and emergency stations and personnel. There were also liability insurance requirements as well.
"All parking was to be onsite, with no parking allowed on county roads or FM roads, and organizers were told that vehicles would be towed, and that they were to make sure attendees were aware of that prohibition on parking, and the organizers were supposed to have personnel on the roads to prevent any parking on those roads. Event organizers were instructed to have all trash picked up during the event and to make sure that trash was removed by the morning in the area.
"Organizers were also told to watch noise levels and the event was required to end no later than midnight.
"There were numerous health & safety requirements as well, including minimum porta toilets, hand washing facilities and bottled water. Organizers had to submit a site plan prior to the event to the Fire Marshal’s office in addition to a fire safety plan showing adequate fire protection equipment and personnel as well as a traffic control plan to ensure unobstructed access for emergency vehicles, and health and sanitation plan, a security plan, and a noise control plan.
"Based on testimony that was provided at this mass gathering permit hearing, the permit was conditionally granted. Obviously the organizers failed to meet permit conditions on a number of issues, and an investigation is ongoing at this time, not only into the shooting itself, but the circumstances surrounding the event, the parking situation on public roads, the trash and litter, and the permit requirements that were not met.
"By enforcing the mass gathering statute, it was our hope at the County that we could address many of the issues we have seen in the past with these events, but it is clear that these events are not operating in a manner that is respectful of our laws, public safety and the community in that area, and I will be looking into what can be done looking forward to ensure that this never happens again. If needed, Sheriff Guidry & I will work with our state legislators to see what else we can do legislatively to ensure public safety above all else and to protect the community from negative impacts that they should not have to endure. I will also meet with PVAMU officials to discuss the situation as well.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the shooting victims and I hope that they all recover from their injuries as quickly as possible. I also hope that the WCSO investigation leads to the arrest of the individual(s) responsible, and that they face the full consequences of their actions in criminal court in Waller County."