Baytown PD locates 2 bodies believe connected with shooting spree suspect whom officers killed

Police accuse Ron Welch of a series of shootings on Oct. 5. They now accuse him of the deaths of two more people.

Daniela Hurtado Image
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
2 more deaths pinned on shooting spree suspect whom police killed
Baytown police believe the deaths of two people whose bodies were found at an oil field are connected to a 33-year-old shot by officers last week.

BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- A crime spree body count pinned on a Baytown man whom police shot and killed grew by two more victims, investigators said on Monday.

Baytown police believe Ron Welch, 33, was responsible for the deaths of two people whose bodies were found at an oil field Sunday afternoon near Causeway Road and Evergreen. While a news release identified Welch as the "offender" in those deaths, police did not disclose the connection or when those victims died.

The same release stated that the oil field bodies were linked to a series of shootings that happened last Wednesday night miles apart from each other.

ORIGINAL STORY: Baytown police kill man accused of shooting 4 people, killing 2 of them

At about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, officers responded to a call of two people who had been shot inside a car - a man and a woman - at Tri City Beach Road near Evergreen Road.

The male victim of that shooting died at the scene while the woman survived, police said.

Baytown police then received a second call of a shooting at Bay Oaks Harbor Trailer Park, where another man and woman were shot, a few doors down from where Welch lived.

The man was flown to the hospital, where he later died.

The second woman's injuries were non-life threatening, officials said.

Shortly after the second shooting, witnesses told officers they saw Welch driving back toward the first scene on Tri City Beach Road.

When Welch arrived, police said he confronted the officers. That's when officers shot Welch, killing him.

Baytown Police Chief John Stringer said the officers were "forced to discharge their weapons."

Police believe all four people allegedly shot that night by Welch were his neighbors at Bay Oaks Harbor Trailer Park, though the motive of the shootings was unclear.

The two victims from last Wednesday were identified as 54-year-old Bryan Gradney and 34-year-old George Keene.

Keene's family tells ABC13 that he was an amazing father of five and was very loving. His wife tells ABC13 that George was an electrician who loved fishing. The family is also urging the public to donate to Keene's memorial fund.

Gradney's family respectfully declined to comment.

The identities of the latest two victims were not immediately released.

ABC13 reached out to Baytown Police Department for information on the two latest victims. We've also asked why police believe the cases are linked and how long they think the bodies were at the oil field before they were ultimately discovered on Sunday. We are awaiting a response from the police department.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.