Mansfield mother killed in Round Rock Juneteenth shooting
DALLAS - The Mansfield mother killed during a Juneteenth celebration in Central Texas over the weekend is being remembered as a loving, giving and selfless friend.
She was one of two people killed. Fourteen others were wounded.
Lyndsey Vicknair was an innocent bystander shot and killed Saturday night at a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock.
"The Vicknairs were actually in the Juneteenth parade that morning, and then they transitioned over to Round Rock for a celebration," said Candice Cooper, Lyndsey’s friend.
Lyndsey’s husband, Kevin Vicknairs, was with her at the celebration when they heard gunshots, and his wife was caught in the crossfire. He performed CPR, trying to save her.
"I didn’t have any equipment or anything," he said. "Help just didn’t arrive in time. It just didn’t arrive in time."
Cooper remembers how they connected through the track club she co-founded, Austin Honey Badgers. She says the Vicknair family with their three small children got involved with the group two years ago when they moved from Mansfield to the Austin area.
"She was a lawyer, and you don’t typically see a lot of attorneys that are willing to get, be outside all day with children and wanting to more so be involved," she said.
Cooper says their bond was instantaneous, and Lyndsey was a genuine pillar of support.
"Typically, when our volunteers are finished with the gate, then they pretty much go and sit down and watch their kiddos. But not Lyndsey," she said. "So she was, ‘Okay, so what else you need me to do? Okay, so what else?’"
Police say two people were killed and 14 others injured when two groups began fighting and shooting during the outdoor festival last Saturday.
"She said, ‘I’m hit!’ I said, ‘You’re hit? Where?’ That’s when I pulled her out of the chair," Kevin recalled. "I’m moving the chair out with the other, and I’m feeling for where she is hit. And I felt it wet in her back."
"And to think that her last moments were at during a celebration for families and the purpose of freedom for Juneteenth, that’s honestly heartbreaking. It’s devastating," Cooper said.
Lyndsey's three small children are 7, 4 and 1.
"All three of her kids, they just all exhibit that same loving spirit and exhibit that same spirit and energy," Cooper said. "The entire family is, of course, they are sad, but there’s a sense of strength that I’ve seen with this family that is honestly is admirable."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that there is now a $10,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of those involved in the shooting.
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Round Rock Juneteenth shooting: Abbott announces $10K reward for information
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced a $10,000 reward for information about the shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock that claimed the lives of two women and injured multiple others.