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# $2 Million Bail Set for Teen Suspects in Deadly Beaumont Triple Shooting
A Texas magistrate set bail at $2 million Saturday for two 18-year-old suspects charged with murder and aggravated assault in a triple shooting that left a 17-year-old dead and two others wounded—a crime authorities say stemmed from nothing more than a dispute over the price of a gun.
Christopher Bushnell and Larry Stoker, both of Beaumont, now face the prospect of remaining behind bars unless they can post $1 million each. The staggering bail amount reflects both the severity of the charges and what prosecutors likely see as significant flight risks. Bushnell, already on 10 years of deferred probation for previous organized criminal activity and evasion charges, allegedly pulled the trigger during what should have been a routine firearm transaction. Stoker, according to police, served as the getaway driver.
The deadly confrontation unfolded Thursday afternoon in the 4300 block of Ogden Street, where three teenagers had gathered for what they believed was a simple gun sale. When negotiations over price turned sour, investigators say Bushnell drew his weapon and opened fire. Arin Antwine, just 17 years old, died at the scene. Two 15-year-olds survived their injuries, though the physical wounds will likely pale in comparison to the psychological trauma of watching a friend gunned down over pocket change.
Law enforcement moved with commendable speed. Working through the Southeast Texas Violent Crime Task Force alongside the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County authorities, Texas DPS, and the U.S. Marshals Service, investigators tracked down Stoker in Orange within hours of the shooting. Bushnell was apprehended the following morning in Baytown. “Through the collaborative efforts of investigators and partnering agencies, both suspects were apprehended within 24 hours of the incident,” Beaumont police said in a statement.
But swift justice for the perpetrators offers cold comfort to a community now mourning another young life lost to senseless violence. Arin Antwine should be planning his summer, not being memorialized by grieving family and friends. And it forces us to confront an uncomfortable reality: how did an 18-year-old already on probation for organized criminal activity find himself in position to commit murder? What systemic failures allowed someone with his record to remain free, probation notwithstanding, until tragedy struck?
The $2 million bail sends a message that this community takes such crimes seriously. Whether it serves as any deterrent to the next hotheaded teenager with a grievance and a firearm remains to be seen. In the meantime, two more teenagers—the 15-year-old survivors—must carry the scars of a Thursday afternoon that turned deadly over a disagreement about money. Some lessons come too late, and at far too high a price.
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