Police arrest teen in Juneteenth shooting in Texas that left two women dead – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Police in Round Rock say they have arrested a teenager in connection with the shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in which two women were killed and up to 14 others injured.

On Thursday morning, Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said a fugitive apprehension task force in Pflugerville arrested 17-year-old Ricky Thompson III around 7:30 a.m. He is being held in the Williamson County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Thompson’s bail amount has not yet been set and it is unclear if he has an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Banks said Thursday that police believe Thompson was one of several people who shot at each other in Old Settlers Park on Saturday night.

Two women were killed in the crossfire: Lyndsey Vicknair, a lawyer from Mansfield who lived in Manor, Texas, with her husband Kevin and their three children, and Ara Duke, who worked in education in Austin. Up to 14 other people, all of them innocent bystanders, are said to have been injured by the gunfire.

Citing a need to protect the ongoing investigation, Banks offered few other details. However, he confirmed that Thompson was the person investigators were looking for in the white hoodie and that more arrests and charges are expected. Banks said investigators remain convinced that the shooting was the result of an altercation between two groups of people attending the celebration.

Banks said the victims’ families were notified of the arrest Thursday morning. KXAN in Austin released a statement from the Vicknair family thanking investigators for their work on the case and calling on those responsible for the shooting to turn themselves in to police.

“The Vicknair family would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Round Rock Police Department and other law enforcement agencies for their diligence. Detectives were a great help 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 like us or anyone else, but my message to you is to do what God has put on your heart.'”

Vicknair’s family and friends are invited to a private wake in Mansfield on Friday evening, followed by a celebration of life on Saturday.