9 teenagers injured in a Texas prom after-party shooting

AUSTIN, Texas — Nine teenagers were found shot in an east Texas residence early Sunday at a prom after-party attended by hundreds, local officials said a statement.

Just after midnight, deputies responded to shots fired at a private residence in Jasper County where the party was held and found nine victims with gunshot wounds, according to a statement by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. According to Jasper County officials, the injuries are expected to be non-life threatening.

About 250 people are estimated to have been present at the time of the shooting, according to a statement from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.

Eight victims were taken in personal vehicles to Jasper Memorial Hospital in Jasper, Texas, and “at least one” of those were transferred to Christus Southeast Texas-St. Elizabeth Hospital in nearby Beaumont, Texas for further treatment, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Karli Cherry said. One person did not go to the hospital, she said.

A second shooting within the city limits of Jasper, Texas occurred shortly after the first, the statement said. There were no injuries in the second shooting, but a connection between the two incidents is being investigated due to a “common vehicle at both locations,” the statement said.

According to the statement, “people of interest are being questioned” and the investigation is ongoing.