GALVESTON, Texas – It all happened so quickly along Galveston’s Historic Strand Saturday night.
In the midst of the Lone Star Rally, one of the largest biker rallies in North America, gunfire, people and businesses were hit with gunfire. The gunman was quickly captured,
“We had officers within the block, within seven seconds of the first shot being fired, we know that we had officers converging on the gunman,” said Doug Balli, Chief of the Galveston Police Department.
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Police say the gunman, 20-year-old Peddis Ray of Hitchcock, is a self-proclaimed gang member who was apprehended within 30 seconds.
Ray is now in jail on a $900,000 bond after shooting six people ranging in age from 20 to 53, according to Balli.
As unexpected shootings at public events are becoming more prevalent, KPRC 2 Investigates spoke about the one thing you rarely hear about following these types of shootings, specific advice on what to do. We asked Balli what he would tell his children.
“I think as first responders you run towards the gunfire, but my children I would tell take cover, get out of the way, leave the area as fast as you can but be vigilant of your surroundings,” said Balli.
When asked how often should parents be having these types of conversations with their kids before a public event?
“I think daily conversations,” said Balli.
He also adds planning is critical.
“Have a plan before you leave the house, have a plan if you are to become separated, have a plan to meet at a specific location, if that specific location is somewhere where something has occurred have a secondary location so that you could all meet up for safety reasons,” he said.
When we asked how many parents are having these types of conversations, Balli quickly responded, “Probably not enough, and to be honest with you I didn’t have those conversations enough with my own children.”