18-year-old indicted in connection to Sixth Street mass shooting in Austin
The 18-year-old was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly tampering with evidence
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An 18-year-old man in Austin, Texas, was indicted Friday regarding his alleged connection with a mass shooting that occurred on Sixth Street in the state capital on June 6. Sixth Street is the heart of Austin's music scene and one of the city's major tourist draws.
Jeremiah Tabb, 18, was indicted by a Travis County grand jury on a charge of tampering with evidence, which is a third-degree felony, according to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities had arrested Tabb on Thursday in neighboring Bell County.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tabb allegedly tried to dispose of the firearm of De'Ondre Jermirris White, who was located in Killeen, Texas, in June after a manhunt by members of the U.S. Marshals Service's Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and the Killeen Police Department SWAT team, according to Killeen police.
White is suspected of using the firearm in the June 12 mass shooting that left one man dead and 14 others injured.
The victim who died was identified as Douglas Kantor, 25, a Ford Motor Co. employee from Michigan, who was in Austin to visit friends, reports said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My heart continues to break for the family of Mr. Kantor and all of the victims of this senseless act of violence. The District Attorney’s Office will not rest until everyone responsible is held accountable," said Travis County District Attorney José Garza in a press release.
AUSTIN SHOOTING: NEW SUSPECT, 19, ARRESTED AFTER MANHUNT, POLICE SAY
In August, White was officially indicted on a murder charge as well as 14 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Charges against Tabb were initially dropped by Garza's office, which led to local outcry. A local TV news investigation found a pattern of Garza's office dropping charges in hundreds of cases since he took office, in January 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Texas State Capitol is seen on the first day of the 87th Legislature's third special session on September 20, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)
The Sixth Street shooting is believed to have stemmed from a dispute between rival groups of teenagers from Killeen, according to court documents obtained by FOX 7. It was Austin's worst mass casualty event in about 7 years.
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said the two juveniles who were arrested previously in the case did not have sufficient evidence against them, so the charges they faced were dismissed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Austin has seen at least 89 homicides in 2021, shattering its previous record and eclipsing its total homicides in 2018 and 2019 combined. The city council voted to defund Austin's police department in August 2020 by nearly one-third, and canceled police cadet classes.
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Fox News' David Aaro and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.