MILAM COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) – UPDATE: The suspects in the Milam County shooting at a prom afterparty have been identified.
The Milam County Sheriff’s Office received several 9-1-1 calls at approximately 1:50 a.m. Sunday in reference to shooting which took place in the 8000 block of U.S. Highway 79 in Milano. Deputies were dispatched and arrived on scene.
The residents of the property were throwing an afterparty for the Milano prom. The Milano Independent School District was not affiliated with this party. A firearm was brought out at this party by 17-year-old Kelvin Ortega, of Oklahoma, who fired the weapon and struck a 17-year-old man.
Ortega fled the party with Zain Taylor, of College Station, in a white police surplus Ford Crown Victoria. The victim was flown to the hospital for emergency surgery, and is in stable condition.
Another shooting victim was found Sunday afternoon. This victim was a 14-year-old boy, who was hit by a bullet fired by the suspects. This 14-year-old believed he cut his leg on an unknown object and went home. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon that this was discovered to be a bullet wound. He was transported by EMS to a hospital, where he was treated.
The suspect vehicle was found and discovered to be abandoned after two blowouts on the passenger side. Investigators traveled to Brazos County, College Station, Robertson County and Franklin – eventually finding Ortega and Taylor – and got confessions from both of them.
Ortega and Taylor are each charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault Causes Serious Bodily Injury – which are second-degree felonies.
This investigation is still active. If you have any information in this case, you can contact the Milam County Sheriff’s Office at (254) 697-7033, or Milam County Crime Stoppers at (254) 697-8477.