On the afternoon of September 1, 2025, 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake, a girl from the Kilgore area, went with her father, 49-year-old Shawn Glen Blake, to Hugh Camp Memorial Park in Liberty City, Gregg County. Multiple 911 calls drew deputies and emergency crews to the scene, where first responders attempted lifesaving measures. Both 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake and her father were pronounced dead at the park. Authorities immediately characterized what happened as a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence.
In the hours after the shooting, investigators identified 18-year-old Christopher Wayne Hicks Jr., described by officials as 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake’s boyfriend, as the primary suspect. According to the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, 18-year-old Christopher Wayne Hicks Jr. suffered what appeared to be self-inflicted, life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Detectives continued gathering witness accounts and piecing together the lead-up to the gunfire as the community held vigils and posted remembrances for 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake.
Within days, memorial notices confirmed the identity and age of 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake and set services in Kilgore, underscoring how quickly the loss rippled through family, classmates, and friends. Obituary listings and funeral home announcements marked the date of death as September 1, 2025, and located the services at Rader Funeral Home and Danville Cemetery.
Two weeks after the shootings, as 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake’s family and community grieved, 18-year-old Christopher Wayne Hicks Jr. was booked into the Gregg County Jail and charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake and her father. Local outlets reported that those charges stemmed from the Labor Day attack at Hugh Camp Memorial Park and that investigators continued to work the case.
Accounts from regional newsrooms consistently place 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake and her father at the park in the early afternoon, describe swift multi-agency response, and note that 18-year-old Christopher Wayne Hicks Jr. was linked to the victims through a dating relationship with 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake. Officials publicly urged anyone with background knowledge about tensions leading up to the confrontation to come forward, while reaffirming the assessment that the attack was targeted.
As the criminal case moves forward, the public record reflects a clear investigative arc: the identification of 18-year-old Christopher Wayne Hicks Jr. as the suspect, his hospitalization with self-inflicted injuries immediately after the shooting, and his subsequent jailing on twin murder charges tied to the killings of 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake and her father. What remains in the hands of prosecutors and courts are the formal proceedings that will determine the legal outcome, even as the community continues to honor the memory of 16-year-old Hailey Nicole Blake.
