Galveston leaders address safety concerns of future events after Lone Star Rally shooting

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A judge increased the bond of an alleged gang member charged in the Galveston Lone Star Rally shooting that took place over the weekend.

The video above is from a previous report.

On Saturday, 20-year-old Peddis Ray admitted to police that he was the shooter and claimed to be a gang member, according to investigators.

Court documents reveal Ray had tattoos that investigators said were consistent with a local gang.

Galveston police said six people were shot near The Strand, a historic district of the area.

Five of the victims were reportedly taken to the trauma center at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Authorities said one was taken to the hospital in critical condition, two required surgery and are expected to make full recoveries, and two others did not require surgery and are also expected to fully recover.

Investigators believe Ray was targeting people from a rival gang, but it is unclear if the victims were involved in any illegal activity.

Court documents state that one of the shooting victims noticed a group wearing dark clothing, and masks approached his family and started to shout. Shortly after, he said he heard gunfire.

Officers said the weapon found with Ray had a magazine that could hold 18 bullets. When they arrested Ray, the magazine had seven bullets in it.

Ray was charged with six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and booked in the Galveston County Jail on Saturday.

Initially, each count carried a bond of $100,000, totaling $600,000. On Monday, a judge raised each count to $150,000, totaling a $900,000 bond.

Ray's assigned defense attorney requested a mental health evaluation.

The Lone Star Rally is the largest four-day motorcycle rally in North America, according to its Facebook page. Organizers said the rally brings hundreds of thousands of people to the island.

City leaders plan to address the shooting at a meeting in the coming days. They said they always debrief after big events. This time, they plan to talk about the shooting and future security for all city events.

"Lone Star Rally is not a gated event," David Smith, the City of Galveston executive director, said. "Mardi Gras is a gated event. People are allowed to carry weapons within the state of Texas within these areas if they're legally able to do so. This is an unfortunate, isolated event that occurred, but yes, well, plan ahead to make sure these things don't happen again."

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