ONE PERSON IS DEAD AFTER CHAOTIC EVENT IN FAYETTE COUNTY
One person is dead, several people were injured, and multiple arrests were made following a chaotic weekend in Fayette County.
Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek and others were working security at the Real Deal Family Reunion Trail Ride on FM 3011 near the community of Nechanitz.
A 19-year-old man was shot during a fight near the concert stage around 1am Sunday.
According to the Fayette County Record, Sheriff Korenek found the victim, but an ambulance could not reach them due to the large size of the crowd.
Korenek loaded the victim into his vehicle, and took him to an ambulance. The EMS called for a helicopter, where the victim was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin in critical condition.
He was later pronounced dead around 9:30am Sunday morning.
The name of the victim is being withheld. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Texas Rangers to identify the suspect.
Organizers of the Trail Ride are encouraging anyone with information on the shooter to come forward, and assist the Sheriff’s Office with their investigation.
The event was a combined trail ride, campout, and concert. Organizers applied for a mass gathering permit that estimated the crowd at 7,000 people over a three-day period. However, the Sheriff’s Office said they went well past that amount.
The shooting was one of numerous incidents at the event from Saturday night into Sunday morning.
On Saturday night, a double decker party wagon collapsed, which sent seven people to the hospital.
They tried closing the gates to the event at 10pm, but a crowd estimated at around 200 people “bum-rushed” the gate, and knocked it down. One event staffer was injured in the process.
At one point, people drove through ditches just to get into the concert.
The Sheriff’s Office made multiple arrests for weapons charges, motor vehicle burglaries, and an assault.
Several EMS units from Fayette and surrounding counties were called to the scene to treat wounds resulting from fighting to people having respiratory problems due to all the dust.
The concert was supposed to go until 1am, but the Sheriff’s Office ordered the event shut down at 11:15pm due to the crowd being out of control.
As people were leaving the event, some folks cut a hole in the fence to try and get around the large crowd.
Sheriff Korenek thanked the additional law enforcement agencies and EMS units that assisted at the scene.