CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Shots were fired Friday night at Corpus Christi's first-ever trail ride event, sending two people to the hospital and forcing organizers to cancel the remainder of the weekend's activities.
The event, organized by Jaron Jackson, was meant to celebrate the historical roots of Black cowboys but was cut short after violence erupted.
"I've never been this disappointed in my life if you want me to tell you the truth," Jackson said.
The trail ride was a vision two months in the making, according to Jackson, who had arranged for entertainment, vendors and food trucks at the venue.
"We had the entertainment over here. The vendors and the food trucks. All of that stuff was over here," Jackson said.
A man and woman were shot during the event and taken to the hospital.
"Just know that everybody is okay, and we're just thankful that nobody passed away," Jackson said.
Jackson emphasized that the violence doesn't represent what the trail ride was intended to do and promised enhanced security measures for future events.
"Whatever we need to. Whatever the cost. I don't care if we have to get the military out here next time, that's what we gon do," Jackson said when asked about additional safety precautions.
Around 3,500 people were expected to attend the weekend-long event, but organizers canceled the remainder of the activities following the shooting.
"People were still wanting to come after the event, but we canceled it. We weren't taking that risk," Jackson said.
Instead, Jackson moved the event to JP Luby Beach to accommodate guests who had traveled from out of town.
Despite the setback, Jackson remains optimistic about the future of trail rides in Corpus Christi.
"I'm very proud of what we've done. But like I told you, we need to mitigate risks and go back to the drawing board," Jackson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
