Mother and Daughter Among 5 People Killed in Texas Shooting

A suspect was apprehended after five people were shot to death in Central Texas on Thursday morning.

Mayor Jimmy Hering confirmed the news about the violence, which happened in McGregor, about 20 miles southwest of Waco.

“This terrible and senseless act of violence has devastated our town,” Hering said per KCEN-TV. “While the families are being notified of the details, we ask that you keep them, the officers, and the community of McGregor in your thoughts and prayers.”

According to authorities, the suspect, who was a male but has otherwise not been identified, began shooting at responding officers who arrived on the scene at approximately 7:30 a.m. He was later taken into custody, Hering said.

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said the suspect was shot by an officer and was in the hospital Thursday evening, according to reports.

In a press conference Thursday, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Howard said that the victims’ names would be released pending notification to their families.

Two of the victims were later identified by family members to KETK-TV as Lori and Natalie Aviles, a mother and daughter, who were “innocent victims in an act of gun violence,” according to a GoFundMe established in their names.

On Thursday night, a vigil was held at Bethlehem Christian Church, where the mother and daughter both served as church leaders, according to the station.

“Lori and Natalie were very bubbly people. Like the pastor said you wouldn’t know that they had lost their father, that has been a couple of years ago,” Lori’s niece Brittnie Olvera told the outlet. “They just have that type of personality, that go-getter, very strong willed personality.”

The McGregor and Troy school districts announced they would cancel all Thursday night games, including middle school, freshman and junior varsity football games, as the two small towns were set to play one another.

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