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A Sunday night vigil for one of the victims of a shooting at a party held during Texas A&M University-Commerce's homecoming weekend was interrupted by gunfire.
The vigil, held in memory of Kevin Berry, had just wrapped up when a series of gunshots sent mourners and a news crew scattering for cover.
Berry was one of two people shot and killed, along with 14 others who were injured, at a party on Saturday. At the time of the vigil Sunday evening, the shooter was still at large.
More than 750 people attended the unofficial off-campus party on Saturday where Berry was killed. The chaos began when a man entered the building and began shooting.
Several of those injured were not shot, but were hurt while trying to escape from the shooter during the ensuing chaos.
Authorities said that the shooter originally chose his targets with purpose, but eventually began shooting randomly.
Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks said of the party shooting:
"It was complete chaos as people fled for safety and deputies attempted to locate the shooter."
Matt Howerton, one of the news crew who were present at the vigil, had just posted a tribute to Berry on Twitter right before the event.
***BREAKING*** The family of Kevin Berry tells @wfaa that the 23-year-old is one of the 2 victims who died after a… https://t.co/8wk5kd21NO— Matt Howerton (@Matt Howerton) 1572215453.0
That tweet was followed just hours later by another about the vigil held in Berry's memory. Instead of photos of mourners or Berry's life, though, it was a video taken by Howerton while he and cameraman Matt McNew took cover.
In the video, gunshots can be heard ringing out over people's panicked shouts.
***BREAKING*** Following Kevin Berry’s vigil, a shootout happened in the parking lot of St. Augustine Park. Ever… https://t.co/NPyKD0qBOr— Matt Howerton (@Matt Howerton) 1572225585.0
Thankfully nobody was injured at the vigil, though several cars were damaged by the gunshots, but the event was traumatizing for those who were simply there to mourn the loss of their loved one.
A news van from KXAS was one of the damaged vehicles.
Active shooting at a vigil tonight for one of the #TexasAMCommerce victims. As the vigil wrapped up, people bega… https://t.co/KQzNZYlqr2— Diana Zoga (@Diana Zoga) 1572225404.0
You can view WFAA's coverage of the vigil shooting below.
Night of chaos: Gunfire erupts at vigil for Greenville shooting victim youtu.be
At the time of the vigil, the identity of the shooter who killed Berry was still unknown.
Authorities initially believed that a semi-automatic rifle had been used in the shooting, but ammunition shells that were found at the scene were determined to be fake and most likely a part of someone's Halloween costume.
Police have since arrested 23-year-old Brandon Ray Gonzales and charged him with capital murder of multiple persons. He is currently being held at Hunt County jail and his bail is $1 million.
It has yet to be determined if Gonzales was responsible for the gunshots fired at Kevin Berry's vigil, or if that was a different perpetrator.