JASPER COUNTY, Texas — Four 18 and 19-year-old Newton men have been arrested and charged in connection with a prom party shooting just outside Jasper on Sunday that injured 11 teens.
All four are being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a first-degree felony and engaging in organized criminal activity, a second degree felony, in connection with the prom party shooting in the county, Jasper County Sheriff Mitchel Newman said Friday morning.
The four men are also facing aggravated assault and deadly conduct charges related to a second shooting about five miles away from the party in a Jasper neighborhood, according to Jasper Police Department spokesperson, Lt. Garrett Foster.
Cheston Hartsfield, 18 and Tracy Hickman, 19, both of Newton, are in custody in Beauregard Parish after being arrested Thursday in DeRidder, Louisiana, Sheriff Newman said at a news conference Friday morning in Jasper.
Cameron Hartsfield, 19, of Newton, was arrested Thursday by Woodville Police in Tyler County he said.
Tyler Porter, 19, of Newton, was arrested by Newton County deputies in the county on Thursday Newman said.
“They were on the radar,” Newman said when asked if the four men were previously known to law enforcement.
“There’s been lots going on for months between these two groups of young men, not only in our county but in Newton County, too and it finally came to a head over here,” Sheriff Newman said of the shooting. He agreed when asked if he would call it an ongoing feud.
Watch the full press conference below or here.
Some of our evidence has been delivered to the ATF lab and they project a 30-day turnaround on processing it Sheriff Newman said.
Most of the weapons involved were 9mm, according to Sheriff Newman.
Deputies are still in the process of interviewing the more than 200 witnesses to the shooting and have collected some video from witnesses Newman said. Some have been a little leery of coming forward he said.
“The kids have been real good. They have been real brave coming forward,” Newman said.
A search warrant was executed by the Jasper County Sheriff's Office at a residence on Hwy 190 East near Newton High School on Thursday afternoon, according to Jasper County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Karli Cherry.
Deputies announced Thursday afternoon that they had taken three suspects into custody and several hours later they announced the arrest of the fourth suspect.
While at first it was believed that nine teenagers were injured, during the conference officials said 11 were injured. Two of the victims went to the hospital the day after the shooting took place, according to Newman.
The shooting happened early Sunday morning.
Deputies believe about 250 teens from Jasper and Kirbyville were at the party north of Jasper on County Road 263 when it took place. Both schools held proms Saturday night.
"What was supposed to be the most wonderful night of these kids' life greatly affected them, and it will be something they never forget," Cherry previously told 12News.
Eight of the victims were taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital by personal vehicles, Sunday morning and some were transferred to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. Others arrived at a hospital a day later. All of their wounds were not life-threatening.
Ten of the victims were injured by gunfire, and one was injured while fleeing.
Several of the wounded were former and current Jasper High School students, according to Jasper ISD Superintendent John Seybold.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.