Suspect arrested in Grapevine Lake jet ski hit-and-run death: Texas game wardens
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- Texas game wardens arrest Daikerlyn Gonzalez Gonzalez after fatal jet ski collision.
- Gonzalez faces felony charges including manslaughter and fleeing accident scene.
- Victim Ava Moore, U.S. Air Force Academy student, died after kayak was struck.
Texas game wardens have arrested the woman who allegedly struck and killed an 18-year-old kayaker on Sunday at Grapevine Lake, authorities said on Tuesday.
Game wardens identified the suspect as 21-year-old Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez Gonzalez, according to a news release.
Gonzalez was operating the jet ski that hit and killed 18-year-old Ava Renee Moore, a U.S. Air Force Academy student, as she kayaked on Grapevine Lake, authorities said.
Gonzalez faces charges of second-degree felony manslaughter, reckless operation and excessive speed of a personal watercraft, and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. It’s unclear whether she has a defense attorney. Her bond has been set at $500,000, according to the warrant, but authorities say she won’t be released on bond because of an immigration detainer.
While driving the jet ski, which game wardens referred to as a personal watercraft, the suspect “recklessly made several passes along the shoreline with wanton disregard to the safety of others and at a speed and manner that endangered others in the area, before eventually colliding with one of two kayakers paddling near the shoreline,” the affidavit obtained by Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV states.
The other kayaker, who witnessed the crash, told investigators that she and Moore were trying to paddle away from the area after the jet ski kept speeding close to them and swimmers near the shoreline. That’s when the jet ski hit Moore’s kayak from behind, according to the affidavit.
The witness said she heard waves approaching and turned her head to see the jet ski driving over the top of Moore’s kayak. After the crash, the driver turned back, apparently saw that she had injured Moore and then sped away, the witness told investigators.
Gonzalez and her passenger briefly returned to the area of the crash on the jet ski, and videos taken by witnesses showed bystanders trying to restrain the two women, while others seemed to guard them as they walked to the parking lot at Oak Grove Park, according to the affidavit.
The woman who was a passenger on the jet ski stayed behind to be interviewed by first responders, but Gonzalez fled with a man in a Toyota Corolla that hit two other cars as they drove away, police said.
Witnesses provided police with cellphone videos and photos to help identify Gonzalez, which showed her wearing a blue bikini and her tattoos of a butterfly and the Bible verse “Se fuerte y valiente,” which means “Be strong and courageous.”
Gonzalez was arrested with help from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Dallas Police Department, the Grapevine Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, according to the game wardens’ statement.
Attorney General Ken Paxton said the man who left the scene with Gonzalez also was arrested with the help of his office’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit. Texas Parks and Wildlife identified the man as Maikel Coello Perozo, 21.
Witnesses and first responders tried to save Moore, who had head injuries, but she died in an ambulance on the way to the emergency room at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, authorities said.
Moore was a 2024 graduate of Timber Creek High School in Keller ISD and then committed to play basketball as a student at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School, according to her social media and a GoFundMe account raising money to help her family with funeral expenses.
After completing the preparatory school program earlier this month, Moore had returned to North Texas to spend time with her family for a few weeks before beginning basic training at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs as part of its Class of 2029.
“We lost an exemplary teammate this weekend – Cadet Candidate Ava Moore, whose passion for leadership and service left an impact on everyone she met,” Lt. Gen Tony Bauernfeind, the superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Ava’s constant happiness and attitude helped her squadron get through the challenges of the Prep School, and her drive to excel was on display as she sought out leadership positions to improve herself and her team. Our team is focused on providing support to Ava’s family, her Prep School Squadron, the Prep School Women’s Basketball team, and the entire Academy family.”
Support services including chaplains and mental health professionals are available for her classmates, the academy said.
Moore’s father said in a statement to WFAA-TV, “We are grieving the loss of our daughter at this time. Our prayers are also with the young ladies involved, along with their families.”
In his statement, the attorney general said that Gonzalez is from Venezuela and that she and Perozo are both undocumented immigrants.
“Ava Moore’s senseless death was caused by an illegal alien who should have never been in our country in the first place,” said Paxton, who is challenging incumbent John Cornyn to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate in the 2026 election. “My heart breaks for Ava’s family and friends, and my prayers are with them as they face this tragedy. My office will continue to work with local, state, and national law enforcement partners to secure justice for Ava.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 1:51 PM.
