Texas
Texas Powerball player who split $1.78B jackpot revealed — after selecting one number by mistake
The Texas Powerball ticketholder who split the $1.78 billion jackpot in September revealed they selected the numbers by accident — but are “blessed” to share the life-changing money with their community.
Seven Bridges Revocable Trust, a group out of Fredericksburg, Texas, stepped forward Monday to claim its half of the second-largest grand prize in Powerball and US lottery history.
The group chose to receive their winnings in a one-time lump sum of $410.3 million.
Numbers were selected by the group, who usually pick at random but decided to make it personal, choosing digits that “were meaningful to them,” the Texas Lottery said on Monday.
The group purchased the ticket at Big’s 103 gas station in Fredericksburg, a rural city, 75 miles west of Austin, but later realized one of the numbers they picked was different from what they had planned to select.
The winning numbers were: 11, 23, 44, 61, 62 and the Powerball was 17.
Members of the group didn’t find out about their lucky accident until they were on their way to church the next morning, causing them to pull over to confirm their transformative win.
The ticketholder stashed the life-changing ticket in their glovebox and went inside the church, according to the lottery.
“We are Texas true to the state and its values. We believe in family, in faith, and in the blessings that come through both. This is a moment of gratitude for us, a blessing we plan to enjoy and share with those who are special to us and who serve our community,” the group told the state lottery through a lawyer.
“We ask for privacy as we look forward to enjoying our lives together as a family. God bless Texas,” the statement added.
The group did not say which number they planned to select.
The gas station received a $250,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the jackpot-winning numbers.
It was the third time a Powerball jackpot was sold in Texas, and first since a $564.1 million grand prize was won in Austin back in 2015.
“We’re excited to celebrate this milestone with the claimant of the largest jackpot prize in Texas Lottery history,” Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Executive Director Courtney Arbour said. “This record-setting prize shows that any Texas Lottery ticket could be the next big winner, all while helping to generate vital funding for public education and veterans’ services right here in Texas.”
Seven Bridges Revocable Trust will split the $1.78 billion prize with an anonymous winner in Missouri who also chose the lump sum option last month.
The Show-Me State ticketholder purchased their winning ticket at a QuikTrip convenience store in St. Louis, describing himself as a “homebody.”
“I’m like a homebody. The perfect day is sitting at home doing what I do — relaxing,” the winner told the state lottery after claiming his half of the prize. “I’m a millionaire, a multimillionaire, and I’m doing laundry last night.
“It’s the best problem I’ve ever had,” he said.
No one has claimed the Powerball grand prize since Sept. 6 and the jackpot sits at $295 million for Saturday night’s drawing.
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Brazoria County deputy shoots, kills Texas State University student after car chase, report says
BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – A Texas State University student was shot and killed by a Brazoria County Sheriff’s deputy early Monday morning after an attempted traffic stop in Lake Jackson.
The news was first reported by The University Star, Texas State’s student-run newspaper.
In a Tuesday statement to KSAT, the university identified the student as John Gabriel Mendoza Jr., 18. He was a freshman who studied management, according to the school.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, classmates, and all those affected by this tragedy,” the university said in its statement.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle just after midnight Monday near Farm-to-Market 2004 and This Way Street in Lake Jackson, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Mendoza by The University Star, did not stop, deputies said. The deputies then chased after the vehicle for approximately a mile into a neighborhood located in the 100 block of Indian Warrior Trail.
According to the sheriff’s office, the driver went inside a home’s garage and parked before a deputy approached the vehicle, the release said.
The deputy then pulled out his firearm and shot into the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said the gunfire struck the driver.
The University Star reported that Mendoza was the one shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The deputy who pulled the trigger has since been placed on administrative leave in accordance with the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office policy.
KSAT reached out to the Lake Jackson Police Department and the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office for more information, but neither agency has responded at this time.
The shooting investigation is being led by the Texas Rangers, according to a Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office news release.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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