DALLAS (AP) — An 18-year-old woman about to begin her first year at the U.S. Air Force Academy was killed when a personal watercraft hit her kayak on a Texas lake over Memorial Day weekend, setting off a pursuit by law enforcement that ended in the arrests of two people.
Ava Moore died following the collision Sunday on Lake Grapevine, a popular boating and fishing destination near Dallas. She had just graduated last week from the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School.
Authorities said Wednesday the woman accused of operating the personal watercraft is charged with felony manslaughter. She is accused of fleeing the lake in a vehicle with a man who was charged with two misdemeanors, including one related to hitting two cars as they left the scene. Both are Venezuelans who had entered the U.S. illegally in 2023, authorities said.
Here’s what to know about the investigation:
Ava Moore’s life
Moore graduated on May 19 from U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School, and had accepted an appointment to join the academy as a member of its class of 2029, according to a news release from the academy.
Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, said in the news release that Moore’s “passion for leadership and service left an impact on everyone she met.” He said her “constant happiness and attitude helped her squadron get through the challenges” of prep school and “her drive to excel was on display as she sought out leadership positions.”
Moore’s family said in a statement that they were thankful for the love, support and prayers they had received.
“This is a difficult time for all involved but also an opportunity for our beautiful girl to continue to impact our community,” the family said. “Out of this tragedy, God will make good and that only can be accomplished through forgiveness.”
The prep school is a 10-month program that offers a select group of enlisted personnel and civilians a potential pathway to become a cadet at the academy, according to an academy spokesperson. The spokesperson said Moore was on the prep school’s basketball team.
The collision on Lake Grapevine
A personal watercraft with two women on board was being driven at a high speed near the shore of a park when it struck Moore’s kayak, Texas Game Warden Capt. Joseph Quintero said at a news conference Wednesday.
Authorities say the two women on the personal watercraft fled the scene of the collision, and then returned to the park. The personal watercraft’s passenger remained there while 22-year-old Daikerlyn Gonzalez Gonzalez left in a vehicle with 21-year-old Maikel Coello Perozo, authorities said. Their vehicle collided with two other vehicles as they fled, authorities said.
Gonzalez’s passenger on the personal watercraft does not currently face any charges, Quintero said.
A police spokesperson said Gonzalez and Perozo were being held at the detention center in Grapevine on Wednesday. The spokesperson did not know if they had attorneys to speak on their behalf.
Quintero said the investigation is continuing and more charges could be filed. He said authorities are looking into who owned the personal watercraft. Authorities have no evidence that alcohol was involved in the collision.
The suspects
Quintero said authorities do not know the relationship between the man and woman arrested.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that both Gonzalez and Perozo are from Venezuela.
Gonzalez illegally entered the U.S. in September 2023, was given a notice to appear and released, ICE said. Perozo entered the U.S. in January of that year after arriving at a port of entry in Eagle Pass and was released pending an immigration hearing, the agency said.
The statement did not say when they were scheduled to appear.
ICE said immigration detainers have been lodged with Grapevine police following the arrests of Gonzalez and Coello.
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