JASPER COUNTY, Texas — A Jasper High School senior who was looking forward to spending time with her friends after prom said she now just feels lucky to be alive.
Members of the Jasper County community were left shaken after a shooting at an after-prom party left 11 teenagers injured. The shooting happened at a home north of Jasper on County Road 263.
“I was excited to go to the party and celebrate with my classmates," Madelyn Collins, Jasper High School senior, said.
The call regarding the shooting came in shortly after midnight Sunday. Deputies responded to a disturbance with shots fired at the home.
Upon arrival, deputies learned that nine teenagers had been shot, with the victims ranging in age from 15 to 19 years old. Deputies believe about 250 teenagers were at the party.
Collins was at the party when the shooting broke out. She said it was a typical night of listening to music and talking to her friends until she heard the sounds of gunshots.
“I saw the pop, you know, how it makes a bright light," Collins said. "I saw it pop, and I fell."
Collins managed to run to safety. However, three of her cousins were among the nine teenage victims.
“When I turned around, she was on the ground with a gunshot wound, and all I could hear was her screaming my name and saying, ‘Maddie please help. Help. Help,’" Collins said.
Eight of the victims were taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital by personal vehicles, and some were transferred to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont for further treatment. All of their wounds were not life-threatening.
“We have a total of nine victims eight of them went to the hospital,” Jasper County Sheriff Mitchel Newman said. “As far as we know, only one has been transferred to Beaumont at this time."
Deputies are working to find out who threw the party and who is responsible for the shooting.
Sheriff Newman said deputies are leaving no stone unturned as they search for the person responsible.
“This was a huge party," Sheriff Newman said. "There were lots of kids there. We need the kids to come forward that was there to tell us what they seen or what they heard."
While the shooting has left Collins shaken, she said she is grateful nobody was killed.
“I'm lucky, like really lucky," Collins said. "And the people who got shot but are still alive are very lucky."
Jasper Independent School District Superintendent John Seybold released a statement saying in part, "There will be a much larger law enforcement presence this week to ensure student safety, as well as counselors on hand for any students who need their assistance."
Seybold said the school district is working with law enforcement and that the district's prayers are with all those affected.
Out of an abundance of caution, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety will provide added security at school districts throughout Jasper County, according to the release.
Sheriff Newman is asking that anyone with information regarding the shooting call the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at 409- 384-5417.
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