An 18-year-old college baseball player was struck by a stray bullet during a game at Spring Lake Park in Texarkana, Texas on April 29.
The Texarkana Texas Police Department reported that the bullet was fired during a neighborhood dispute near the park. Emergency responders took the player to St. Michael Hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injuries.
The incident was traced back to reports of gunfire on Lynda Street, located west of Spring Lake Park. Officers attending to the victim collaborated with those investigating on Lynda Street, collecting evidence and seeking witnesses. They found multiple shell casings in front of a house on Lynda Street, indicating a confrontation between two men had escalated into a shootout. The stray bullet traveled about 400 yards and hit the innocent player standing in the bullpen.
Authorities identified Kamauri Butler, 17, and DeMarco Banks, 20, as the shooters and issued felony warrants for their arrests. Both fled the scene following the shooting, with Butler wanted for aggravated assault and Banks for deadly conduct.
In connection to the shooting, police arrested three other individuals at the home as well: Yankeengea Smith, 49, for unlawfully possessing a gun as a felon and possessing controlled substances, including methamphetamine and Ecstasy pills; Nathan Moore, 19, for evidence tampering and possessing marijuana; and Marcell Beaver, 19, for possessing marijuana.
The injured baseball player is in stable condition and expected to recover.
Stray bullet incidents in Texas have posed significant dangers to innocent bystanders and communities, often resulting from disputes, negligent gun use, or celebratory gunfire.
A pregnant woman in San Antonio was struck by a stray bullet in August 2020, a six-year-old boy was injured in a drive-by shooting in Houston in September 2020, and a woman walking her dog was injured by a stray bullet in North Texas in June 2021. In December 2020, a bystander was injured during a New Year’s Eve celebration in Dallas, when a bullet was fired into the air as part of a celebratory gunfire tradition. Additionally, a Fort Worth boy was hospitalized on New Year’s Day in 2023 after being hit by a stray bullet while watching fireworks with his family.
