HOUSTON — A 14-year-old who was gunned down by two guys who wanted his shoes has died, according to Houston police.
Axel Turcios was shot in the back Friday night at an apartment complex in the 2500 block of Tanglewilde Street at Ella Lee Lane in west Houston.
His killers are still out there.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner and Mayor Sylvester Turner have scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference about the case. We will stream it live here and on our app.
Gregory Dunn, a resident at the complex, heard the gunfire around 8:10 p.m. and called for help after finding Alex.
Editor's note: The videos attached to this article are from a previous report.
The teen was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. He died on Saturday.
Before his death, Axel told investigators the gunmen had demanded he hand over his shoes before they shot him. They ripped the shoes off his feet as he lay bleeding on the ground.
Dunn, an Army veteran, told detectives he saw the pair take off in a dark-colored PT Cruiser. They went northbound on Tanglewilde.
"You do what you gotta do," Dunn said. "If you saw what happened, please contact HPD."
No description of the suspects has been released.
Friends describe Alex as very kind and smart.
"If I were able to talk to you one more time, I would tell you that having you as one of my best friends was one of the best things to ever happened to me," one friend posted on a gofundme.com page.
"He always lit up the room with his smile. His smile could make anyone smile," another friend said.
Houston ISD released the following statement:
"HISD grieves the loss of a Lamar High School student who died over the weekend while off campus. We offer our deepest sympathy to the student's family, friends and the entire school community. Counselors have been made available to support students and staff at this difficult time."
Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
