Authorities outside of Houston were searching Monday for those responsible for a shooting at a large college homecoming party on Sunday night that injured seven bystanders.
The gunman opened fire following a fight at a trail ride event near the campus of Prairie View A&M University, about 50 miles northwest of downtown Houston. The Waller County Sheriff’s Office says gunfire broke out around 10 p.m. Sunday night; when detectives arrived at the “trail ride pasture party” and found two men, two women and a male minor had been shot. The sheriff’s office said that they all suffered gunshot wounds “to their lower extremities” that appeared not to be life threatening, according to the statement.
According to reports, more than 1,000 people attended the party and that police were called after an argument escalated into gunfire. Investigators are unclear on how many people opened fire but said each of those injured was a bystander. Promoters held the party in the open fields a short drive from the university’s campus, which had been approved by Waller County’s top officials, but the sheriff’s office also stated that “none of the security protocols that were established by the permitting body and agreed to by the promoter were found to be followed at the time of the incident.” The Waller Co. Sheriff’s Office posted this to Facebook, “The mass gathering was approved by the County Judge for the location of FM 362 and Cameron Rd. The party promoter agreed to follow the Judge’s instructions. Please avoid the area of FM 362 to avoid traffic due to people organizing parking in the approved pastures.”
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