Police in Lexington, Kentucky arrested an 18-year-old after a mass shooting at a park. The shooting killed a 16-year-old boy. It hurt four other people.
Jametrius Griffin now faces a murder charge. He also faces four assault charges. He faces one more charge for hiding evidence. Cops arrested him the day after the shooting.
The shooting happened Saturday night. It was at Charles Young Park. Families were there for a block party called East End Day. Police say shots rang out just before 7 p.m.
This was Lexington's first killing since early February. The city had gone almost 200 days with no killings. The shooting came the same weekend as two more mass shootings in the U.S. One was at a college in Virginia. One was in Michigan. Cops and city leaders are again asking hard questions about guns at public events.
The boy who died was 16. He got hurt bad and doctors could not save him. El Tejano is not naming him. He was a kid.
Four other people got hurt in the shooting. They were 4, 14, 39, and 41 years old. Doctors say their hurts are not life threatening. Two of them are also kids. El Tejano is not naming them either.
Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers spoke at a news conference. A reporter asked him if gangs were behind the shooting. He said, "If anything like that is occurring, that's going to be part of the investigation and something we can't talk about."
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton also spoke to the town. She said, "Take care of each other. If you see something you think is wrong, speak up."
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called the shooting "another senseless act of violence."
Devine Carama runs a group called One Lexington. His group works to stop violence in the city. He called the shooting "unacceptable." He told reporters, "It's not about politics, this is about humanity, and it's about our neighbors."
Griffin did not turn himself in. Cops arrested him. They set his bond at $1 million. He went to court by video on Monday. He said he is not guilty. He gave up his right to a formal hearing that day. His next court date is set for September 2.
The Lexington shooting was not the only mass shooting that weekend. A shooting at a college in Virginia hurt five people that same day. A shooting spree in Michigan left several people dead. Two big shootings in two days put guns back in the news across the country.
The shooting broke out at a party meant to bring neighbors together. Charles Young Park sits in Lexington's East End. This part of town has deep Black history. The city holds East End Day there every year. The event is meant to bring joy, not pain.
City leaders opened help at the Dunbar Community Center on Monday. Counselors came to help families and kids who saw the shooting. They also helped kids who lost someone they knew. The help ran in the afternoon and at night.
Police have not said if Griffin knew the people he shot. They have not said why he did it. Chief Weathers said cops are still working the case. They are checking if gangs played a role.
Griffin stays locked up on the $1 million bond. His next court date will decide if his case goes to a grand jury. Lexington police want anyone who saw the shooting to come forward.
