KATY – Two suspects have now been apprehended and arrested for involvement in the shooting Monday evening at Katy Mills Mall.
Aaron Noah Chavez, 18, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A teenage boy, whose identity has not yet been released, was also charged for his involvement.
The shooting, which took place a few minutes after 5:15 p.m. Monday evening, sent Christmas shoppers in the busy mall into a panic.
- OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Created a lot of chaos’: Search for 2 suspects after shots fired inside Katy Mills Mall
Today, however, many shoppers sounded unfazed by the situation.
“We’re from Mexico, so it’s not a big difference for us,” shopper Jay Montez told KPRC 2′s Deven Clarke. “You know, it’s YOLO [a popular acronym for ‘you only live once’], when it’s your time to die you die.”
Fortunately, nobody was injured during the attack, and authorities were able to quickly reassure shoppers that there was no active shooter in the area after only a few minutes.
“It broke my heart to know that one of them was 18 years old and the other was a juvenile,” shopper Dannicia Grays said.
Katy Police Department confirmed that investigators were able to track down the suspects through surveillance footage from the mall.
Authorities obtained a search warrant for a residence, and once there, they were able to locate and arrest the two people involved. The two suspects admitted to being involved in the shooting, and the suspected firearm was also recovered.
Officials believe that the shooting was the result of an ongoing feud between two groups.
The arrests were first confirmed by Katy City Councilmember Dan Smith in a Facebook post.
Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton told KPRC 2 that his office has reviewed the probable cause statements for Chavez’s arrest, and a high bond and significant bond conditions will be requested due to the severity of the charges. The details of the juvenile’s arrest will remain confidential in cooperation with state law.