Police say a fight between two groups on the beach late Saturday turned into gunfire during a crowded spring break weekend.
PORT ARANSAS, TX — Five people were shot after a late-night fight on a Port Aransas beach during spring break, and a 17-year-old San Antonio suspect now faces five felony assault charges, police said, as investigators work to sort out how a dispute between two groups turned into gunfire near Beach Marker 20.
The shooting drew wide attention because it happened in one of the busiest weeks of the year for the Gulf Coast town, when families, students and other visitors pack the beach. Port Aransas police say officers and emergency crews responded just before midnight Saturday and found five victims with gunshot wounds. By Monday, authorities had identified a teenage suspect, Ernesto Josiah Castillo of San Antonio, and court records showed he was charged with five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The case remains under investigation, and police say more details will be released as they confirm witness accounts, video and physical evidence.
Police Chief James Stokes said the shooting began with an altercation between two groups gathered near Beach Marker 20, a well-known stretch of beach south of town. Officers were called to the area shortly after 11:30 p.m. Saturday on reports of shots fired. When they arrived, they found a chaotic scene with victims on the sand and bystanders trying to understand what had just happened. Authorities have said the confrontation escalated quickly, then a firearm was pulled and multiple rounds were fired. Five people were taken to hospitals for treatment. Early reports from local media said at least two of the victims were in critical condition in the first hours after the shooting. Investigators later tracked down Castillo and arrested him early Sunday. Stokes said the investigation is ongoing and asked witnesses and anyone with video from the beach to cooperate as officers piece together the timeline.
So far, police have released only a limited account of what led to the gunfire, and several basic questions remain unanswered. Authorities have not publicly said what sparked the dispute, whether the people involved knew one another before the confrontation, or how many shots were fired. Police also have not said whether anyone besides the suspect was armed or detained at the scene. What is clear, according to court filings and statements from local outlets, is that Castillo was booked on five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count for each person wounded. Court records show the case was filed in Nueces County as pre-file felony charges. Local reporting has identified several of the injured as members of a Central Texas family vacationing in Port Aransas for spring break. Relatives told reporters that four family members and a family friend were hit in the shooting and that some remained hospitalized days later, with two still in intensive care. That account has added a painful human dimension to a case that police first described only in broad terms.
The setting has also shaped the public response. Port Aransas is a small coastal city on Mustang Island, but during spring break the beach becomes a dense, noisy gathering place that can stay active well past dark. Beach markers help visitors and emergency crews locate incidents on the long shoreline, and Marker 20 sits in a part of the beach that can draw large crowds. In that environment, even a brief fight can spread confusion fast. Witnesses told local television stations that panic broke out when the shots rang out and beachgoers ran for cover in different directions. One witness said the sound and the rush of people fleeing was something they would not forget. The shooting also came during a turbulent weekend in Port Aransas, where another unrelated spring break incident, a crash involving a Jeep on the beach, drew separate law enforcement attention. Together, the cases have intensified concern about safety during one of the town’s biggest tourism periods without changing the basic fact that investigators are still focused on the specific evidence in the shooting case.
Under Texas law, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is generally a second-degree felony. In this case, that means each charge carries the possibility of a prison term if there is a conviction. Castillo made an initial court appearance Monday, and local reports said a judge set his total bond at $500,000, or $100,000 on each count. Court records reviewed by Texas news outlets show the charges are tied to the five people wounded Saturday night. Because the suspect is 17, he can be charged in adult court under Texas law, though the case may still involve issues that draw added scrutiny because of his age. As of Tuesday, police had not announced any additional arrests. They also had not said whether prosecutors were considering other charges, such as unlawful carrying or firearms-related counts, pending the results of the investigation. The next steps are likely to include more witness interviews, forensic review of shell casings and video, and continued updates on the victims’ conditions. Any formal indictment or later court setting would mark the next major stage in the case.
For families who were on the beach that night, the case is not just a court matter but the memory of a holiday that turned in seconds. Relatives of the wounded told reporters they had gone to Port Aransas to spend time together during spring break and instead ended up moving between hospitals and waiting rooms. A family representative called the ordeal unimaginable and said loved ones had taken time away from work to stay near those who were injured. The words echoed the uneven mood in Port Aransas after the weekend: a beach town still full of visitors, but also a place where police tape, patrol vehicles and crime scene investigators briefly replaced the usual vacation backdrop. Officials have said the inquiry remains active, and they are trying to separate rumor from verified fact as videos and secondhand accounts continue to circulate online. For now, the public record shows five people wounded, one teenager charged and a community waiting for a fuller explanation of how a beach fight ended in gunfire.
As of Tuesday evening, Castillo remained in custody on the five aggravated assault charges, and Port Aransas police had not announced further arrests. The next milestone is expected to come from prosecutors or investigators as court proceedings advance and authorities release more detail about the victims, the evidence and the events leading up to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated March 18, 2026.