Shawn Glen Blake, 49, a White male, was killed on September 1, 2025, during a daylight shooting at Hugh Camp Memorial Park in Liberty City, Texas, an unincorporated community near Kilgore. Deputies with the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of multiple victims and found Blake and his 16-year-old daughter, Hailey Nicole Blake, fatally wounded. Emergency crews and off-duty first responders attempted lifesaving measures, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities described the attack as targeted rather than random.
Investigators quickly identified the suspect as Christopher Wayne Hicks Jr., 18, who was believed to be the girl’s boyfriend. According to the sheriff’s office, Hicks suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital in serious condition immediately after the incident. Early reports emphasized there was no broader threat to the public while detectives worked the scene and gathered witness accounts in the park.
Within days, prosecutors secured two murder charges against Hicks tied to the deaths of Shawn and Hailey Blake. By mid-September, after receiving medical treatment, Hicks was booked into the Gregg County Jail on those two counts, with bonds totaling $2 million, according to local reporting that cited court records. Coverage from regional outlets continued to underscore that the shooting was connected to a domestic relationship and occurred in the middle of the afternoon on Labor Day.
Public memorial notices and obituaries followed, confirming Blake’s identity, age, and date of death and noting that services would be held through Rader Funeral Home in Kilgore with burial at Danville Cemetery. Community tributes and fundraisers appeared online in the aftermath, reflecting the shock that rippled through Gregg County as details emerged about the park shooting and the criminal case against the accused teen.
