On Monday, police announced that two young men had been charged in a shooting at a Houston house party that left two teenagers dead. On Tuesday, charges against one of the young men were dropped, and a community activist says the man is a hero.
Harris County authorities dropped a deadly conduct charge against Willie Young, 21, as interviews with partygoers contradicted earlier claims that Young was seen firing a gun, the Associated Press reports.
Harris County sheriff's officials said they're seeking at least two other suspects in the shooting that left 19 injured, AP reports.
Randy Stewart, 18, was charged with aggravated assault and remains in custody.
Young did not comment after his release, but community activist Quanell X called Young a hero, saying he drove injured people to the hospital.
Details are still sketchy about how the house party turned deadly, but police now believe that gangs played a role in the incident.
It was initially reported that the melee happened after a celebratory gunshot was fired in the air during the party. The event was heavily hyped on social media, and had some 100 attendees. When the shooting began, panicked teens fled into the street. Some jumped out of windows while other pushed a garage door open, AP reports.
Qu'eric Richardson, 17, was found dead at the scene, and Arielle Shepherd, 16, died after being taken to an area hospital.
Katherine McDaniel, a prosecutor with the Harris County district attorney's office, said that Richardson was found outside, a few blocks away from the party house, and had been shot in the head.
McDaniel did not know if Richardson was shot while running from the home. It is believed that Richardson and Stewart were friends and may have been members of the same gang, AP reports.
Court records show that Stewart was arrested last month for check forgery. The $460 forged check had been made payable to Richardson. Authorities said it was unclear if the forgery case played any role in the shooting.
McDaniel urged anybody who has additional information about the shooting to come forward and "hold those responsible accountable," AP reports.
Read more at the Associated Press.