A College Station man arrested for a shooting that left a woman dead and two men injured told investigators it was an accident.
According to the arrest report, 39 year old Ronald McNeil told College Station police his 40 caliber handgun accidentally went off multiple times.
The gunfire killed 19 year old Lacie LaRose of College Station, left one man with a gunshot wound to his leg and another man who was hit in the arm with bullet shrapnel. Another round struck McNeil’s house.
McNeil told officers he and a friend were at a party when others began using racial slurs. According to the arrest report, McNeil said he went to his house across the street from the party to get his gun from underneath his mattress and returned outside and saw his friend being assaulted. McNeil said when he got to his friend, his gun accidentally fired once.
Then he started chasing those involved in the assault. When he got to a backyard gate, McNeil said he tried to open it with a finger on the trigger and the pistol accidentally fired several times, causing him to run away.
Police caught McNeil a short time later. One officer reported hearing multiple shots then seeing muzzle flashes from a gun.
About 15 hours after the early Sunday morning incident in the area of San Benito and San Saba, McNeil was booked in the Brazos County jail on charges on murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, deadly conduct for the shot that hit his house, and possession of a firearm with a felony conviction.
Original story:
A College Station man was arrested for shooting and killing a woman and shooting and injuring two men.
39 year old Ronald McNeil was booked in the Brazos County Jail Sunday night on charges of murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and deadly conduct.
The woman who was killed was identified as 19 year old Lacie LaRose of College Station.
College Station police did not release the identities of the injured, a 23 year old Bryan man who was shot in the leg and a 29 year old San Antonio man who was hit in the arm with bullet shrapnel.
A CSPD officer reported hearing multiple gunshots then seeing muzzle flashes from the front of a home in the 900 block of San Benito.
Witnesses told investigators McNeil was a neighbor who was involved in a disturbance when he pulled out a handgun and started firing.
Police did not disclose what caused the disturbance.
News release from College Station police:
On May 3, 2015 at approximately 0306 hrs an officer with the College Station Police Department was at the intersection of San Benito and Pedernales when he heard multiple gunshots coming from a residence near his location. He observed what he believed to be muzzle flashes coming from the front of a residence in the 900 blk of San Benito and saw two persons fleeing from there in different vehicles. The officer was able to broadcast the description of the vehicles and other officers were able to locate them in the area.
Officers and emergency medical personnel responded to the residence on San Benito and found that a total of three persons had been injured by the gunfire. They were identified as:
23 year old Bryan male was transported to a Bryan hospital and treated for a gunshot wound to the leg.
29 year old San Antonio male was transported to a Bryan hospital and treated for a bullet shrapnel wound to the arm.
19 year old female was transported to a College Station hospital where she was later pronounced deceased at approximately 0455 hrs.
Representatives from the College Station Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and Crime Scene Unit, with assistance provided by the Bryan Police Department Crime Scene Unit, responded to the scene and continued the investigation into this offense. Initial information learned at that time revealed the following.
A group of individuals were having a gathering at a private residence in the 900 blk of San Benito and during this time a neighbor and his acquaintance joined the group. A verbal and then physical altercation developed between the original persons at the gathering and the neighbor and his acquaintance. Shortly after that time the neighbor produced a handgun and began firing into the group at the residence and then he and his acquaintance fled in separate vehicles as seen by the original officer.
The neighbor was stopped a short distance away as he drove from the area by an additional responding officer and he was subsequently taken into custody. The acquaintance was located at a separate location and is cooperating with authorities as they continue their investigation.
Arrested and charged with Murder, Deadly Conduct, and two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon was:
Ronald Wayne McNeil
39 year old College Station male
The victim in this offense has been identified as:
Lacie LaRose
19 years of age
Irving, TX native/College Station, TX resident