Ryan Lara, 15, of Duncanville, was moving from his parents’ car into the driveway late Saturday when he was shot in the back, MyFoxDFW.com reports. Relatives said they saw a gray or silver four-door sedan driving away. Lara later died from his injuries at a hospital. (MyFoxDFW.com)
Police in Texas are searching for a gunman who shot and killed a teenager who was battling cancer in an apparent attempted robbery.
Ryan Lara, 15, of Duncanville, was moving from his parents’ car into the driveway late Saturday when he was shot in the back, MyFoxDFW.com reports. Relatives said they saw a gray or silver four-door sedan driving away. Lara later died from his injuries at a hospital.
“I ran out, stepped over him and proceeded to pull out my pistol with my left hand and started firing at the vehicle with no headlights on or no lights on,” Lara’s brother, Brandon, said.
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A $5,000 reward is being offered for information regarding anyone involved in the incident. Detectives aren’t sure whether more than one suspect is involved.
Lara, a seventh-grade student at Byrd Middle School, had been battling lymphoma. Teachers at the Duncanville ISD provided letters to students about Lara’s death and made grief counselors available on campus Monday.
Brandon Lara said a doctor recently said his brother, a linebacker and wide receiver for the school’s football team, was “doing very well” since a lump was found in his chest two months ago.
“He was very loveable,” Brandon Lara told MyFoxDFW.com. “He was like my son because he looked up to me a lot.”
The teenager’s relatives are now hoping the suspect or suspects involved in the killing will answer for their crime.
“He didn’t deserve this and I just hope whoever killed him … what’s done in the dark is soon going to come to light,” Brandon Lara said.
Calls seeking comment from the Duncanville Police Department were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call (877) 373-8477.
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