NEDERLAND — A 17-year-old male and an 18-year-old male are recovering from non-life threatening gunshot wounds after a shooting at Doornbos Park in Nederland Sunday night.

Nederland police were notified of the shooting when the victims showed up at The Medical Center of Southeast Texas at 9:06 p.m. Sunday.

“They apparently went to Doornbos Park to meet some subjects, for what reason we’re not entirely sure,” Nederland Police Chief Gary Porter said.

The victims were parked at the back of the park, past the tennis courts, when four people approached them; several were armed with handguns and one with a baseball bat.

Police said the victims tried to leave when the assailant with the baseball bat started beating on the vehicle.

Then several shots were fired.

Three bullets struck the vehicle and one went through the passenger’s thigh, and police believe the same bullet struck the driver in the ring finger.

The victims are cooperating with police, Porter said.

The shooting took place about an hour before the park closed.

Police said and it had been a long time since serious criminal activity occurred at the park; authorities noting a female was sexually assaulted there a few years ago.

But all in all, the park, located at 2301 Avenue H, is safe, police said.

Doornbos Park opens at 5 a.m., and the gates are locked at 10 p.m. The occasional disorderly conduct does occur and drug paraphernalia has been found on occasion, Porter said.

Porter said police would step up patrol and continue to lock the park when it closes. In addition, the city implemented a street light project and the park is well lit, he said.

Police do not believe this shooting is related to a separate shooting that happened at approximately 10:30 p.m. Friday in the 3000 block of Canal Avenue in Nederland.

Officers did find some spent shell casings but they do not match the ones used in the Doornbos Park shooting.

“We did confirm that shots were fired,” Porter said. “Nobody saw the vehicle, there are no suspects, no one was injured and, as far as we know, no property was hit.”
Nederland police are asking residents who live in the area to check their surveillance cameras for the time the shootings occurred and call police at 409-722-4965 and choose the option to “speak to an officer.”