Thrown beer can leads to 20-year-old’s death at lake house party, Texas cops say
A party at a Texas lake house “got out of hand” when a thrown beer can caused a fatal fight to break out, Texas deputies said.
The fight at the July 14 party in Kingsland sent 20-year-old David Michael Justus to the hospital, deputies told KXAN. He died on July 23, according to his obituary.
“What we are developing is that it seems like one group started throwing beer cans at another, one got hit with a beer can and this guy went over to [Justus] and a big fight broke out,” Llano County Sheriff Bill Blackburn told KVUE. “It looks like [Justus] got hit and knocked down and hit his head on a piece of concrete.”
Two men were arrested and charged with manslaughter, deputies told KXAN. A third suspect has been identified by the sheriff’s office but has not been arrested, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Family members said in Justus’ obituary that the fight at the party was a “senseless and brutal assault on him.”
“We are striving to honor David and celebrate his life, choosing to focus on how wonderfully he lived instead of on how unfairly he died,” the obituary said. “However, while we want to remember all of the good about his life and cherish the best memories about him, we are also pleading with the local authorities and anyone who may be able to help in the investigation to bring justice for David.”
Blackburn said approximately 30 teens and young adults were in attendance at the July 14 party, but the homeowner believed his son was only hosting five people, KVUE reported.
“David was a wonderful son, a caring and fun brother, a loyal friend, and a devoted boyfriend,” the obituary said.
Kingsland is about a 60-mile drive northwest from Austin.
