Gun brought to Pflugerville ISD school
A 17-year-old Pflugerville ISD student is facing felony charges. Police said he shot a former student and ran him over with his car outside Connally High School.
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas – A Pflugerville ISD student is facing felony charges after police say he shot a former student with a stolen gun and ran him over with his car outside Connally High School.
Shortly after noon on Monday, Pflugerville ISD police got a call about a shooting in the Connally parking lot.
The victim, a recent Connally graduate, was on campus to have lunch with a friend, when current student Vince Nguyen, 17, called him over to his car. According to an arrest affidavit, Nguyen pulled out a handgun and said to the victim, “You’re done for.”
The affidavit further states the victim grabbed ahold of the gun and moved it away, and as he did that, Nguyen stepped on the gas and knocked the victim to the ground, running over him.
At some point, according to court documents, the victim was also shot in the shoulder. He was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center to be treated for his injuries.
Police later arrested Nguyen at his home, where they say they found a stolen gun on him.
Many students say they had no idea what had happened.
“I did not see anything,” said Paloma, a freshman at Connally. “I was just like, ‘well, that’s pretty crazy’. I didn’t hear about it until other people said something.”
“What if my granddaughter had been around?” said Paloma’s grandmother Delia Anzaldua. “I love my granddaughter. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.”
In a letter to families, Pflugerville ISD Interim Superintendent Steve Flores said in part:
“It’s believed to be an isolated incident, and neither other students nor staff were at risk…we want to assure you that the safety and security of our students and staff remain our top priority…We are cooperating fully with police to ensure a thorough investigation…
“Please know that we take weapons on our campuses very seriously. Any student found in possession of a weapon will face the maximum disciplinary measures, along with potential criminal charges.”
You send your kids to school and your siblings, and you expect them to be safe,” said Lili Lopez, whose brother-in-law attends Connally.
The arrest affidavit further revealed Nguyen and the victim knew each other, and Nguyen dated the best friend of the victim’s girlfriend. According to the affidavit, the victim also spotted an AK-47 on Nguyen’s lap in addition to the handgun.
“They need to check their backpacks, check their cars,” said Lopez.
Nguyen is charged with aggravated assault, theft of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
“I don’t understand these kids that do these things,” said Anzaldua. “And I don’t know why parents don’t know that these kids have guns. Why do they have guns?” said Anzaldua.
As of Wednesday night, there’s no word on the victim’s condition.
Nguyen’s bond was set at $52,500. He’s due in court February 21.