BEAUMONT, Texas — A 21-year-old Houston man has been indicted in connection to the murder of a man outside a new Beaumont club.
Off-duty Beaumont Police officers were working security at The Park on Calder at 2325 Calder Ave. when they heard shots fired in the alley on the east side of the club just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, September 10, according to a news release from Beaumont Police.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired in a September 10, 2023 newscast.)
Police say a large crowd was gathered at the club when the shooting happened.
The officers at the club called for backup and found Leroy Smith, 30, of Beaumont, who was mortally wounded , in the alley according to police.
Witnesses reported that a black vehicle was observed leaved the scene at a high rate of speed, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Officers spotted the black vehicle about seven blocks west of the club near Calder Ave, and Interstate 10 but when they tried to pull it over, the driver kept going.
After a brief chase the driver, Horace Peterson, 39, of Houston, pulled into a parking lot where a passenger then jumped out and ran police said.
Officers chased Augusta Simon, Jr., 21, of Houston, on foot and saw him discarding a handgun.
The handgun was located, collected and found to be the same caliber as the shell casings collected at the scene, according to the affidavit.
While being interviewed by detectives, Peterson implicated Simon, Jr. as the suspect.
During Simon, Jr.'s interview, he confessed to shooting Smith.
Smith had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene by Beaumont EMS medics according to Jefferson County Precinct One Justice of the Peace Ben Collins, Sr., who ordered the autopsy.
Simon, Jr. has his bond set by Collins at $995,000.
By Monday morning, September 11, 2023, three more charges were added for Simon, including tampering with evidence to impair an investigation, a third degree felony, evading arrest and unlawfully carrying weapon according to jail records.
Peterson was charged with evading in a motor vehicle with a previous conviction, a third degree felony, and his bond has been set at $50,000.
The club released a statement on its Facebook page following the shooting saying "our deepest condolences to those who have been affected by this senseless act of violence."
"We have worked since the beginning to guarantee a safe space with Beaumont Police officers and extra security on premises. However, we are aware of the unforeseen circumstances that occurred outside The Park by senseless outsiders who do not and will not have a place in this establishment", according to the statement.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.