Round Rock murder believed to be random act; man arrested: sheriff
Suspect arrested in Round Rock murder
Williamson County law enforcement has arrested a man in connection with a murder Monday in a Round Rock subdivision.
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Williamson County law enforcement has arrested a man in connection with a murder Monday in a Round Rock subdivision.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 1 found dead in Round Rock; suspect at large: WCSO
What we know:
26-year-old Benedict Ogbodiegwu of Round Rock was identified and taken into custody late Monday night. He's been charged with first-degree murder.
At around 11 a.m. Sept. 7, Williamson County sheriff's deputies responded to the 2400 block of Chandler Creek Boulevard, near Double File Trail Elementary School, for a report about an injured person.
When EMS arrived, they determined the person was dead and WCSO classified the incident as a homicide.
WCSO released a photo of the suspect to the public, describing him as a Black man with short dreadlocks and frosted tips.
WCSO says that preliminary evidence and information developed so far has led investigators to believe the attack was random and that the victim and suspect did not know each other.
What we don't know:
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office still has not identified the victim or how they died.
What's next:
Ogbodiegwu is in the Williamson County Jail as of Tuesday morning.
WCSO says the investigation is ongoing.
Elementary school parents speak out
What they're saying:
On Tuesday, class was back in session at the nearby Double File Trail Elementary. Its front doors were only about 100 yards away from the scene of Monday's homicide investigation.
"My daughter definitely was a little worried about going to school, so a huge relief that it was all over," says Gosia Hausen, a parent picking up her children at Double File Trail Elementary.
Parents told FOX 7 that they received confirmation of Ogbodiegwu's capture around 9:30 p.m. on Monday in a message sent by the school's principal.
"I wish I didn't have to talk to my kids about things like that and things can happen so close to their school, but that's life, and they feel good today knowing that he's been captured," said Hausen.
"It was just kind of scary. We went home and locked the doors and hoped for the best," said Jason Metcalfe, as he recalled the search for the suspect on Monday.
His wife works at the elementary school, and although there were no classes due to the holiday, she still happened to be at the school. When Jason saw a police presence forming nearby, he went to make sure she was OK.
"When we came out after checking on her, there was a helicopter outside and a mobile command center, and we had no idea what was happening," said Metcalfe.
While unsure what decision the school would make regarding Tuesday's classes, he said he was glad to see a sense of normalcy as students returned.
"We were surprised to see they had classes today. We weren't sure if they were going to have classes today or not, but it's nice to see things back to normal," said Metcalfe.
The Source: Information in this report comes from a Sept. 8 update from the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, previous reporting, and from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Marco Bitonel