A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested in relation to the deadly shooting at a Juneteenth celebration that killed two women and injured 14 others, Round Rock police announced.
Police said on Thursday that they had arrested Ricky Thompson III at about 7:30 a.m. in Pflugerville and booked him into the Williamson County jail. Thompson is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but police said they expect additional charges to be filed later. He has no criminal history.
Police said Thompson was not the only shooter at the event, and police are still searching for others.
“We are still looking for other suspects and continuing to gather all evidence, we’ll continue to talk to witnesses, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to bring everybody involved to justice,” Round Rock Chief of Police Allen Banks said.
The shooting occurred at a Juneteenth celebration Saturday at Old Settlers Park after a fight broke out between two groups of people. All of the victims were innocent bystanders, according to police.
The victims were Lyndsey Vicknair, 33, and Ara Duke, 54.
Vickair was an attorney from Mansfield and lived with her husband and three children in Manor. Duke was an educator in Austin.
In a statement shared with KXAN, Vickair’s family thanked the police department and investigator for finding the suspect.
“The Vicknair family would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Round Rock Police Department and other law enforcement agencies for their due diligence. The detectives have been extremely supportive during this very difficult time,” the family said. “Kevin’s message remains the same: ‘To the shooter or shooters who took God’s gift from me and my children, you may not care for us or others, but my message to you is to do what God has placed on your heart to do.'”
To learn more about gun violence in Texas, see the RA News Gun Violence Watch page.
