Round Rock Juneteenth shooting victim was 'a light' to young people

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

2 3 minutes read

More than 100 adults, teens and children lined up Thursday evening along a middle school track holding lit candles in honor of Lyndsey Vicknair.

Vicknair, 33, a mother of three and attorney, was one of two innocent bystanders killed in a shooting at a Juneteenth celebration Saturday in Round Rock. She was named a Texas Super Lawyer “Rising Star” in construction litigation in 2023 by Super Lawyers magazine, according to the website of the Chapman firm where she worked.

The other woman killed in the shooting was Ara Duke, a 54-year-old education administrator who had planned to travel to London to help with her daughter's pregnancy, a relative said. The shooting was an altercation between two groups of people, according to police. Police arrested Ricky Thompson III, 17, of Manor, Thursday in connection with the shooting, Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said. Thompson is currently charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was not the only shooter in the incident and police are still looking for other suspects, Banks said.

More: 17-year-old arrested in fatal shooting at Round Rock Juneteenth festival, police say

Lyndsey Vicknair and her husband Kevin Vicknair were members of the Austin HoneyBadgers Track Club, a nonprofit organization for young runners, said Candice Cooper, one of the group's co-founders. The club held the vigil for Lyndsey on Thursday at the track at Webb Middle School in northeast Austin.

The Vicknairs' seven-year-old daughter competed in track and field for the club, Cooper said. Lyndsey Vicknair was always there at practices and competitions to offer help, she said. “She was a light,” Cooper said. “She was a helper and she loved young people.”

Lyndsey Vicknair and her husband joined the club two years ago when they moved from Mansfield, near Dallas, to Central Texas, Cooper said. “A lot of track moms hugged Lyndsey when she came in,” Cooper said. “From doing hair to cooking meals to babysitting to birthday celebrations, she has been a part of our lives for two years.”

More: Police: Round Rock Juneteenth shooting victims identified as Pflugerville, Manor residents

She said several club members were at the Juneteenth celebration when the shooting occurred, including a relative who was selling barbecue and saw Lyndsey Vicknair buying nachos before she was shot.

She was at the Juneteenth celebration at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock because she had a date with her husband, some of Vicknair's friends said at the vigil. “She was very kind, very caring and very gentle,” Adrienne Williams said. “She left behind such a beautiful, young family.”

She wanted her children to be bilingual so they would all learn Spanish, said Kalee Perkins, another friend of Lyndsey Vicknair. The children were also vegetarians because she wanted them to avoid the high blood pressure she had when they were born, Perkins. said.

Perkins said she talked to Lyndsey at a barbecue a few weeks ago about the possibility of planning outings with their children this summer. When she found out Lyndsey had been killed, Perkins said, she started shaking. “I was in disbelief,” Perkins said.

Lauren Varner said her four-year-old son was on a tee-ball team with Lyndsey Vicknair's four-year-old son. “She was always nice and sweet and we joked about our sons,” Varner said. “His presence put you at ease.” The Vicknairs also have a 1-year-old daughter, friends said.

Lyndsey Vicknair knew Cooper had caterpillar equipment scattered around his house and always complained about it, Cooper said. For his birthday this year, Cooper said, Lyndsey Vicknair gave him a candle with the words “Smells like the opposite of track gear.” » Cooper said smiling. She said she had lit the candle every day since Vicknair's death.

Cooper said the athletic club started a gofundme for the Vicknair family. “My message in the face of this tragedy is to try to find a way to triumph,” Cooper said. “Let this remind us that life is short and we should appreciate it. You never know when you're going to see someone next. You might not see them again.”

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Lina Portman

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