Kemah shooting left 17-year-old suspect and 55-year-old victim dead, deputies say

Mark Anthony Vigil, 18, of Houston, faces capital murder charges in the Nov. 17 shooting, Galveston Co. Sheriff's Office said.

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Thursday, November 24, 2022
18-year-old charged with capital murder in Kemah double shooting
The Galveston County Sheriff's Office revealed that an 18-year-old, Mark Anthony Vigil, was charged with capital murder in a Kemah shooting.

KEMAH, Texas (KTRK) -- Only one of the two teenagers accused of shooting a 55-year-old man to death in Kemah is still alive, the Galveston County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

That's because a 17-year-old suspect was wounded during that Nov. 17 incident and later died at the hospital.

Deputies revealed that 18-year-old Mark Anthony Vigil is alive and facing a capital murder charge for his alleged role in the shooting.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies were called to the Summerbrooke Apartments on Lawrence Road in Kemah at about 11:45 p.m. for a shooting. They arrived to find Richard Rocco with multiple gunshot wounds.

That man was taken to HCA Clear Lake by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators uncovered information that led them to 17-year-old suspect Joshua Rojas, whom they say was also shot during the same altercation, deputies said.

Vigil drove Rojas to a South Houston residence, from where a family member took the wounded suspect to a Pasadena-area hospital. Rojas was later pronounced dead.

The Galveston County District Attorney's Office approved Vigil's arrest warrant for capital murder, with a $500,000 bond. He was located and arrested in Houston and is behind bars at the Galveston County Jail.

So far, the sheriff's office has not disclosed the motive for Rocco's killing and how all three people were connected.

There remain some unanswered questions about the shooting. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Galveston County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division at 409-766-2333. You can also provide an anonymous tip through the Galveston County Crime Stoppers at the Anonymous Tip Line at 702-763-8477, or download the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.