A late-night burst of gunfire near Leander High School on July 4 ended with three arrests and seven seized firearms, after Cedar Park police say they tracked suspects with help from a Williamson County drone. The initial call about shots fired came in just after midnight near Kettering Drive and Bagdad Road, and more gunfire reportedly rang out as officers moved into the area. Police set up a perimeter, located three people who surrendered without a fight, and carted off an arsenal that turned a holiday headache into a full-blown criminal case. Authorities later said the three arrested individuals have since posted bond.
According to Fox 7 Austin, the suspects are 41-year-old Francisco Hernandez, 17-year-old Brian Hernandez, and 18-year-old Israel Vences. Each faces a charge of possession of prohibited weapons. Officers recovered two Drako-style pistols and five Glock pistols, the outlet reports, and two of the Glocks were fitted with illegal machine-gun conversion switches. County booking records also show Francisco Hernandez facing an additional unlawful-possession-of-a-firearm count listed as "No Action - Undecided Prosecution."
Police response and drone search
Cedar Park officers say the first call came in just after midnight, and they could still hear shots as they arrived on scene, which prompted them to lock down the area and call in eyes in the sky. A Williamson County Sheriff's Office drone located the three suspects, who surrendered without incident, and officers recovered the weapons nearby, police told Fox 7 Austin. "What goes up must come down, and reckless gunfire puts lives at risk," the department warned, according to the report, in a not-so-subtle reminder that bullets are not fireworks.
Holiday shooting patterns around Austin
The Cedar Park incident was one of several shootings reported across the Austin area over the Fourth of July holiday, reinforcing what local officials say is a predictable spike in gun-related calls whenever the fireworks come out. KUT reported multiple overnight shootings across the region over the weekend, and the Houston Chronicle noted separate Fourth-of-July incidents in the broader Austin area. Across departments, the message has been consistent for years: do not fire weapons into the air during celebrations because those falling rounds can injure or kill people who never even knew a gun was pulled.
Legal status
All three suspects were booked on possession-of-prohibited-weapon charges and later bonded out on a combined $70,000, authorities said. The presence of a 17-year-old among those arrested means juvenile-court rules could shape parts of the process, and county records will determine whether prosecutors ultimately move forward on the additional unlawful-possession count involving Francisco Hernandez.
