Houston Mourns 17-Year-Old LePaul Warren After Fatal Shooting Near Westbury High School

 Houston is mourning 17-year-old LePaul Warren, a Westbury High School senior and student-athlete who was fatally shot Friday morning near the school campus. His family later identified him as the victim, bringing a personal sense of loss to a community shaken by the violence. The sudden loss has changed the atmosphere around a place where students and staff would ordinarily be focused on classes, competition and the final months of the school year.

Authorities said the shooting occurred at approximately 8:20 a.m. Sept. 25 near Dryad Drive and Chimney Rock Road in southwest Houston, just steps from Westbury High School. Warren was shot near the campus, according to the information provided, and died as a result of his injuries. Police responded to the area and began an investigation, while the surrounding community faced the reality of a teenager losing his life at the beginning of a school day.

Warren was known at Westbury for his involvement in multiple sports. He played varsity football as a wide receiver and competed in basketball as a shooting guard. He also participated in track and field, giving him a broad presence within the school’s athletic community. His participation across football, basketball and track reflected a commitment to staying involved and competing alongside other students who shared those interests. Those activities represented shared practices, competitions, routines and relationships that had become part of Warren’s life during his high school years.

Beyond athletics, Warren was a young man with plans for adulthood. His uncle said LePaul dreamed of becoming an engineer, a goal that now carries particular weight for those grieving him. Graduation was approaching, and the ambitions he had discussed with family had the potential to take him far beyond the halls of Westbury High School. His death has therefore been felt not only as the loss of a student, but as the loss of a future that had not yet been lived. Family members are now left to hold onto those plans while facing a loss that came before he could begin pursuing them.

The shooting triggered a substantial law enforcement response in the area around the school and nearby apartment complexes. Houston police investigators searched for evidence and reviewed surveillance footage, while Texas Department of Public Safety troopers assisted in the search for the person believed to be responsible. The investigation remained ongoing, and authorities were working to establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Investigators had not publicly provided a complete account of what led to the shooting, leaving important questions unanswered as the case developed. Details may change as investigators gather additional evidence and speak with people who witnessed or know something about the incident.

School officials said the Westbury campus was placed in secure mode following the shooting, rather than being placed on lockdown. Even though the shooting occurred near the school, the incident had an immediate effect on students, families and staff. Westbury High School also canceled its scheduled homecoming activities, including the football game planned for Saturday. The decision reflected the community’s need to process the death of a senior whose classmates and teammates had been preparing for a very different kind of weekend.

For those closest to LePaul Warren, his name now carries memories of a teenager balancing school, athletics, friendships and dreams of becoming an engineer. Those details provide only a partial picture of his life, but they help place his death in the context of what was lost: a young person with years still ahead of him. As investigators continue seeking answers, family, friends, classmates, teammates and teachers are left to grieve Warren and remember the person he was beyond the circumstances of the shooting.