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GALVESTON (AP) — Two men were shot when a man fired into a group of people during a Texas event, a police official said.
The shooting happened Saturday during Jeep Weekend on Crystal Beach in Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said. It is an annual event for Jeep enthusiasts.
“A group of men started fighting and it transferred over to females fighting,” Trochesset said. “When the women were fighting, a husky male discharged a firearm.”
Trochesset added that the injured men were airlifted to the University of Texas Medical Branch for surgery on Sunday. Their condition was not immediately known.
No arrests were made following the shooting, but the investigation remains ongoing.
Trochesset said more than a 100 people were jailed for unrelated crimes by Sunday morning. Most of the arrests were for misdemeanor crimes, including driving while intoxicated, according to police records.
Crystal Beach residents started an online petition to end Jeep Weekend after 113 people were arrested last year. But the event was still promoted on some community event calendars.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas General Land Office reopened beaches on May 1 after they were closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. But many Democrats and public health experts warn that reopening the state too soon could cost lives. But Republicans support opening businesses and public areas.
Joey Roy and his girlfriend Aloha Flake visited Crystal Beach this past weekend.
“We take precautions and of course, we’re safe but at the same time, we gotta live,” 46-year-old Roy said. “This is our right. This is why we live here. This is why America is great.”
