WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas — White Settlement police arrested a 17-year-old suspect early Saturday morning after he allegedly shot a 14-year-old high school student.
Police say they responded to the shooting at about 11:48 p.m. last Saturday, Oct. 22, in the 100 block of Ralph Street, where they found the victim with a gunshot wound to his leg.
The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment where he is still recovering, police say. Officers then canvassed the neighborhood and recovered surveillance video from a neighbor.
Based upon recovered evidence, police say they believe the suspect, identified by police as Mason Stopps, confronted the victim over a girl and fired multiple shots at him, striking him once. Shell casings found at the scene led detectives to believe the suspect was using an AR-15-style rifle.
“As a parent myself, I am appalled by the level of violence that was completely senseless and should have never happened,” said Chief of Police Christopher Cook in a statement. “I am grateful for the outstanding police work that brought a major arrest within a week of this incident occurring by our Criminal Investigations Division. I also want to thank our regional partners with White Settlement I.S.D. Police and the Fort Worth Police Department for their assistance early this morning.”
The affidavit states the victim told police Stopps and his friends showed up with what he believed to be AR-15-style rifles and that Stopps shot him with the rifle while he was jumping out of the front driver-side door. The victim also told police he was talking to Stopp's girlfriend and believed he may have been set up by her.
Officers took the suspect into custody on a traffic stop in Fort Worth without incident, police say. He was taken to the White Settlement Police Department then transferred to the Tarrant County Jail on Saturday afternoon.
