he didn't even live in the hood. Seems like this might be one of those Louisianan friend from the hurricane relief.
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Aug. 25, 2007, 2:04PM
Westfield High football star gunned down
Sheriff's official says the standout linebacker was in a fight just prior to the shooting
By LINDSAY WISE and SAM KHAN JR.
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
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<!-- cannot put padding/margin around base _ this case rbox. padding/margin control is in outer edge of tree _ not base _ this breaks the structure _ see Tim with questions --> Westfield deals with preseason tragedy
NewsWatch Homicide: Remembering Houston's victims
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<!-- rbox ends here --> A high school football standout who had accepted a scholarship offer to play for the University of Oklahoma next year was gunned down in the parking lot of a northwest Harris County apartment complex Friday afternoon.
Herman Mitchell, 17, was pronounced dead at Ben Taub General Hospital after another teen shot him multiple times, said Sgt. Bryan Pair of the Harris County Sheriff's Office homicide division.
Authorities have charged 19-year-old Emile "Rusty" Lewis of Louisiana with Mitchell's murder, Pair said. Lewis, who was taken into custody after the shooting, is being held in a Harris County jail, he said.
Mitchell, 6-0 and 200 pounds, played linebacker for Westfield High School, and had verbally committed to play at Oklahoma next year. He was a first-team all-district selection on the Mustangs, who were 13-1 last season and were Class 5A Division I Region II semifinalists. He was the team's top returning tackler, recording 115 tackles and two sacks last season.
Oklahoma head football coach Bob Stoops is aware of Mitchell's death and "obviously upset about the news," school spokesman Kenny Mossman said. "When I spoke with Bob tonight, he was really stunned. It was a blow to him," Mossman said.
Witnesses say Mitchell and three friends were leaving his apartment in the 14300 block of Cornerstone Village Drive on their way to nearby Westfield about 4:30 p.m. when Mitchell saw Lewis in the parking lot and "exchanged looks" with him, Pair said.
"Apparently they were friends at one time or another," Pair said, and he added that he didn't know what started the argument.
A fist fight broke out in the parking lot, Pair said. "Then the suspect ran to his apartment and came back with a rifle and that's when he shot Mitchell," he said.
Deputies responding to the shooting at the Trestles apartment complex immediately began searching the area, Pair said.
"They found a young man matching the suspect's description and brought him back to the scene, where he was identified by witnesses," he said.
Investigators took Lewis to the homicide squad's headquarters on Lockwood for questioning. Several hours later, he was charged with murder, Pair said.
Team stunned at loss
Mitchell's teammates were on a bus en route to the Aldine ISD Auxiliary Stadium for a scrimmage with Aldine when they heard Mitchell had been shot. When they arrived at the stadium, they learned he had died. "Everybody was in shock," said friend Brodrick Brown, a senior defensive back. "First we heard he was shot and he was on the way to the hospital. Then, 15 minutes later we got the news and everybody burst out in tears."
The team canceled the scrimmage and gathered back at the school to mourn, Brown said.
"We went to the weight room and everybody met as a program and as a team," he said. "We said a few words of wisdom and a prayer. We had a little get-together outside in the parking lot and we were comforting each other and praying for him and his family."
Brown said Mitchell was a strong leader and good friend both on and off the field.
"He was like my brother," said Brown, who has verbally committed to playing for Oklahoma State University. "On the field we'd laugh and smile and giggle with each other. In the weight room we were partners, weightlifting buddies. We'd talk about the game at lunchtime and how we were going to beat everybody this season."
Playing without Mitchell will be hard, Brown said.
"That's something we have to overcome," he said. "We have to focus, but we have to keep him in our heart and prayers and get ready for the season. It's going to be hard in his absence. It changes the program completely."
Promising future dashed
As soon as the Katrina refugees took over apartment complexes the crime rates and calls for service rose dramatically. Obviously, not all of the people who came here are criminals but we got more than our share. What I don't understand is that they are still asking for assistance with housing and so forth. After 2 years of free money, don't you think it's time they maybe started working?
hno:
