HOUSTON – A teenager who was fighting for his life after being shot in the head at an apartment complex in southeast Houston was pronounced dead Thursday night, according to his father.
Police were called out to a scene a little after 11 p.m. Tuesday at the Garden Oaks Apartments near Griggs Road and Royal Palms Street, where they found 16-year-old Matthew Francis lying on the ground, suffering from a gunshot wound, police said.
According to authorities, witnesses reported gunshots in the area and found Francis on the ground inside the breezeway between the courtyard and the parking lot.
His father, Kenneth Sumpter Sr., told KPRC2 the bullet hit Francis in the front of his head and exited the back. He was on life support for about two days before succumbing to his injuries.
“They got him on a machine. He’s breathing, but the machine is helping him breathe. We’re just asking for prayers,” the father of four said. “As many prayers we can get, we’d be happy, and whoever got any information to come forward.”
According to Sumpter, he doesn’t know why his son was at the apartment complex because Francis lives across the freeway with his mother.
“He was maybe six to seven miles from his house,” Sumpter said. “He was supposed to be at home. He wasn’t even supposed to be out but you know how kids are.”
Sumpter also told KPRC2 Francis went to Sterling High School and was a good kid who just liked to hang out late.
Detectives found multiple shell casings in more than one area, and they say that judging by the layout, there might have been a chase.
Police are looking at surveillance video to see if cameras in the area might have captured the incident and could help lead them to a suspect.
Sumpter told KPRC2 he is personally offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads police to an arrest.
Francis is being kept on a life support machine so his organs can be donated, Sumpter said.