ROYSE CITY, Texas — The small community of Royse City gathered Tuesday night to support the families of two teens who shot and killed early Sunday morning in their own neighborhood.
According to investigators, officers were dispatched to the Woodland Creek subdivision where the boys lived around 3 a.m. Sunday when dispatchers received calls about gunfire.
Royse City police have been tight with details and haven't released information about what they think led up to the shooting.
In a press release Monday, the only thing a spokesperson would say is that a third person was likely involved in the situation and drove away before officers arrived.
On Tuesday, that same spokesperson wouldn't confirm if investigators have conducted any interviews and wouldn't release any suspect information.
They did, however, confirm that investigators have collected surveillance footage, a large number of tips and that the department is eager to make an arrest soon.
WFAA also confirmed the names of the victims with the department Tuesday night: Courtland Wilmore and Nick Young.
Wilmore was a junior at Royse City High School and was only 17 years old, according to an online obituary.
Those who attended the vigil Tuesday night said Young recently graduated from the school. Police identified him as a former student following the shooting.
Teachers, students, and parents in the community all attended. Families for both Wilmore and Young also came but requested privacy.
The vigil was organized by Lauren Robinson and LaTosha Turner. Both live in the same neighborhood as the teens and asked the community to come together to support their families.
"Whatever the situation was, whatever led up to it ... shouldn't have ended like this," Robinson said.
"My children know the victims very well," Turner said. "To see the hurt on my children's faces when they grieve for the loss of their friends, I just couldn't sit there and do nothing."
Sophomore Cole Bynog told WFAA knew both teens and lived in the same neighborhood as well. He called them both close friends.
"They were some of the closest friends I've seen," Bynog said. "They're two very young kids who had the rest of their lives to live."
Several pastors in the community spoke, songs of comfort were sang, and emotional moments of support were witnessed.
Many stood in lines, waiting to comfort the mothers of both teens.
In small communities, tragedy can often cut the deepest. But the response and support can often be the most palpable, too.
"No parent deserves to go through this," Turner said, holding back tears.