Seven people have been shot at a "trail ride pasture party" in Prairie View, northwest of Houston, late Sunday night (November 5).
The mass shooting occurred at an event that was held alongside another homecoming party celebrated by Prairie View A&M University, the Waller County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook the Monday morning (November 6) after the incident.
The two parties drew a massive crowd to a field near the university campus, which is about 50 miles (80 km) outside of Houston.
In a statement obtained by local media, Prairie View A&M said it was "saddened and troubled by the senseless act of violence."
"Although this was not an official PVAMU homecoming event and was unaffiliated with the university, our campus community is deeply concerned for those injured and all affected by this incident," the school said.
How the Shooting Happened
Officers arrived at the scene late Sunday night and found seven people - four women, two men, and one boy - sustaining gunshot wounds to their lower extremities. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
During the investigation, it was revealed that an unknown number of people attending the joint parties were having a verbal dispute, and a firearm was discharged multiple times.
BREAKING UPDATE | The Waller County Sheriff's Office confirmed that seven people were shot during a trail ride pasture party near Prairie View A&M Sunday night.
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) November 6, 2023
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"People were running, stomping on people," Waller County resident Josh Tillery told CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV. "We were standing, and a girl walked up saying 'I think I've been shot.'"
Authorities believed over 1,000 people attended the event, with security partially provided by the county itself, with constables from a Waller County precinct overseeing the gathering alongside a private security agency.
"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 sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office added that the "mass gathering was approved" by the county judge at the address where the parties were held.
