Mom says 'Jeep Weekend' is 'a shame' after daughter's assault, fatal shooting, hundreds of arrests

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A mother is warning parents and community members after her daughter was brutally beaten during the dubbed "Jeep Weekend" event on the Bolivar Peninsula.

Three separate shootings were reported Saturday on the Bolivar Peninsula during the event. One person died, and two others were injured, according to Galveston County Sheriff's Office Maj. Ray Nolen.

Nolen said the department arrested over 300 people, which is a sharp increase from the previous year.

A mother, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the event isn't what it used to be.

"That respectfully good time is a thing of the past, and I couldn't even tell you the last time it was that," she explained.

She said her daughter and friend were on the phone with her during the assault. She said bystanders took videos of the assault.

"As a mom, I'm always worried. I always have worst-case scenarios in my mind, but this surpassed even that, so this was beyond what I considered a possibility," she explained.

The mother said she couldn't contact her daughter after the fighter, setting off an hourlong search.

Now, she's hoping someone can step in to prevent any more tragedy at the event.

"It just, whatever way it has to happen, it has to. People... People are dying. Every year, people are injured, various assaults are taking place, and we know at this point that it's going to happen," she said.

Nolen said the department increased the law enforcement presence to nearly 170 officers this year.

Meanwhile, authorities are still searching for the suspect involved in the homicide.

Prior to the weekend, a majority of businesses announced they would be closed, citing years of chaos.

In 2019, local residents started an online petition to end the event. But Nolen said they couldn't restrict it, citing an infringement on constitutional rights and the Texas Open Beach Act.

"People have the right to go out and have a good time, I know that's why the girls were there to have a good time. But does that person's right to go to a good part supersede a person's safety, a person's right to life," the mother said.

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