Police say thousands of people gathered at Surfside Beach for a party Saturday night when someone started shooting.
A flier had circulated in the days leading up to the party. It must have been effective because police estimate between 15,000 and 20,000 people were on the beach that night.
This case is so sensitive and there are so many questions still lingering that the Surfside police chief himself is handling the investigation. Right now, he tells us based on eyewitness accounts, this appears to be a drive-by shooting.
Three people were shot in all. Authorities identified the deceased victim as 26-year-old Derrick Milam. Investigators say 19-year old London Kirby was shot in the right leg and a 16-year-old was shot in the rear-end. They both are from the Houston area. They both were transported to Brazos Fort Regional Hospital in Lake Jackson.
"We're getting fingerprints. We are getting the follow-ups on some of the witnesses saying what kind of vehicles were passing by at the time because there were several vehicles passing by at the time," said Chief Gary Phillips with the Surfside Police Department. "We are just doing the follow-up and being as thorough as we can."
Surfside police say the beach party wasn't authorized by the city, but they let it continue and never tried to shut it down.
So far there has been no arrest in this case. Authorities plan on interviewing more witnesses today in hopes of getting a description of the suspect or suspects.
Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates on this developing story as they become available.
