TAFT, Texas (AP) – Investigators say a party in South Texas to mark a toddler’s first birthday erupted in gunfire, leaving four men dead and a fifth man wounded.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says the shooting happened shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday in Taft, 12 miles (19 kilometers) north of Corpus Christi. Sgt. Nathan Brandley said an argument escalated into a deadly shooting.
Brandley says one suspect is in custody. He says a second suspect hasn’t yet been arrested.
Brandley identified those killed as 62-year-old Juan Espinoza Sr.; 20-year-old Juan Sandoval III; 22-year-old Jeremy Sandoval; and 25-year-old Nicky Sandoval.
He says the suspects and victims are distant relatives.
The wounded man, 43-year-old Juan Espinoza Jr., was airlifted to a Corpus Christi hospital. Brandley says he’s expected to survive.
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