Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
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The Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel in Eagle Pass, Texas, will reopen to the public on Friday, October 3, less than a week after a shooting resulted in two people dead and five others wounded in its parking lot.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the casino posted, “As we reopen, we are committed to supporting our team, our guests, and are grateful for the strength of our community. We look forward to seeing everyone.” The hotel will also resume operations on Friday at 10 a.m.
The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas owns the casino, located near the US-Mexico border. It closed after the September 27 incident, while the investigation is ongoing.
Shooting That Closed the Casino
According to police reports, gunfire erupted around 11:45 p.m. near the A-11 entrance of the casino parking lot.
Authorities arrived on scene around 11:50 p.m. to discover seven people shot, two of them fatally. They identified the two victims as Marcus “Mark” Antley, a retired U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, and Alicia “Daniela” Sanchez, a mother of five. The wounded were transported to hospitals in Eagle Pass and San Antonio. Some remain in serious condition.
Investigators identified the suspected shooter as 34-year-old Keryan Rashad Jones of San Antonio. He fled the scene in a black Nissan Frontier, and police arrested him the next morning after a pursuit in Wilson County, about 180 miles from the casino. Officers used a PIT maneuver and a Taser to end the chase and recovered a firearm.
Jones faces two counts of capital murder and five counts of aggravated assault. A judge has set his bond at $4.5 million, with his motives still unknown.
The shooting took place shortly after the casino had hosted a promotional car giveaway and live music event, drawing a large crowd. Witnesses described scenes of panic as guests fled when shots were fired. Members of the performing band, Barracuda TX, praised casino security for its quick response.
History of Violence at Casinos
The September 27 incident was not the first shooting at Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel. Another one occurred in December 2021, but with no reported injuries.
However, the scale of the latest shooting has drawn national attention and highlights that casinos are often targets of crime. That’s due to various factors, including high foot traffic and large amounts of cash at the premises, making less controlled spaces, such as parking lots and entrances, particularly vulnerable.
In July 2025, gunfire outside the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada, resulted in three people killed and several injured. Authorities said the shooting began in the valet area during the early morning hours.
In May 2024, a shooting left a man critically injured in the parking lot of Jake’s 58 Casino on Long Island, New York. He later sued the casino for alleged security lapses.
In May 2021, a gunman killed two people inside the Oneida Casino near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Police shot him shortly after.
In one of the most tragic incidents, in October 2017, a gunman opened fire on a crowd of over 20,000 at a music festival at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, killing 58. MGM Resorts International, the property’s owner, later agreed to pay up to $800 million to the victims’ families.
