Troy Tanksley faces a new felony charge tied to his alleged involvement in an Austin game room hold-up.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman
A suspect accused in a March 2025 mass shooting that wounded four people at downtown Austin’s Lit Lounge is back in custody after authorities say he helped facilitate an armed robbery at a game room earlier this month.
Troy Tanksley, 18, is accused of using a rental car to transport armed robbery suspects to and from the King Sweepstakes 777 game room on June 15, according to an arrest affidavit.
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Police allege Tanksley drove two masked gunmen to the business, where they threatened to shoot employees and customers before stealing cash and personal property and fleeing.
At the time of the robbery, Tanksley was on pretrial release in the Lit Lounge shooting case and was being monitored by Travis County pretrial services with a GPS ankle monitor, authorities said.
Austin police investigators used GPS monitoring records that they say placed Tanksley in the immediate area of the robbery. Rental records for the black Chevrolet Malibu allegedly used in the crime also identified Tanksley as the person who rented the vehicle, according to the affidavit.
Lit Lounge shooting on Sixth Street
Austin police responded about 1 a.m. March 30, 2025, to Lit Lounge, 215 E. Sixth St., after a bystander flagged down officers to report a shooting.
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Officers found blood and shell casings inside the bar, according to an arrest affidavit. Two people with gunshot wounds took themselves to a hospital, while two others were treated at the scene before being transported to area hospitals.
Investigators relied on surveillance video, witness interviews, social media and Tanksley’s prior criminal history to identify the then-17-year-old as the alleged shooter, according to the affidavit. He was arrested in July 2025 and released several weeks later on a surety bond.
Under federal guidelines, a mass shooting is defined as an incident in which four or more people are shot.
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Bond challenged after new arrests
Tanksley was arrested again in April 2026 after Travis County sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of teenagers firing automatic weapons near an East Austin neighborhood.
Deputies stopped a vehicle matching the caller’s description and found Tanksley among four occupants. Investigators reported finding firearms, marijuana and multiple THC vape products inside the vehicle. Tanksley was arrested and charged with second-degree felony possession of a controlled substance.
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On June 22, prosecutors asked a judge to increase or revoke Tanksley’s bond after the new charges in 2026. Court documents allege that during the June armed robbery, Tanksley was with a co-defendant in the Lit Lounge shooting case despite a court order prohibiting contact between them.
In the June case, Tanksley is charged with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. As of Tuesday morning, he remained in the Travis County Jail on a $150,000 bond.