Crisis counselors were available Monday after the 17-year-old senior athlete was fatally shot near the Houston school Friday.
HOUSTON, Texas — Students and staff returned to Westbury High School on Monday for the first time since senior LePaul Warren was fatally shot near campus, beginning a school week marked by grief, counseling and an ongoing murder investigation.
Warren, 17, was a varsity football and basketball player who was killed Friday morning near Dryad Street and Chimney Rock Road. Houston Independent School District officials said crisis counselors were available Monday to support students and employees, with additional assistance expected as needed. Warren’s death disrupted homecoming activities and left classmates remembering a student known for his athletic ability and personality.
The shooting was reported shortly after 8:20 a.m. Friday in an off-campus area near Westbury High School. Police said people had gathered in the area when someone emerged from nearby woods and words were exchanged before shots were fired. A school staff member and campus police attempted lifesaving measures before paramedics arrived, but Warren died from his injuries.
The shooting led administrators to place Westbury in secure mode while officers searched the surrounding area. Houston ISD said students and staff inside the school remained safe because the violence occurred outside the campus. Students were later released to their families through a controlled process. Friday’s after-school activities were canceled, and the school’s homecoming football game was also called off.
Warren was a senior who played wide receiver for Westbury’s varsity football team and shooting guard on its varsity basketball team. Friends and relatives remembered him as an outgoing student who could make people laugh. His friend Benjamin Rodriguez described Warren as being like a brother and recalled his personality and the effect he had on people around him.
Signs of the community’s grief quickly appeared near the scene. By Saturday, a memorial included balloons, flowers, candles, a football and a basketball, reflecting the two sports Warren played at Westbury. Family members and classmates gathered to remember him while the police investigation continued through the weekend.
Police arrested 17-year-old Travoris Jarrell Hines on Friday evening and court records filed afterward charged him with murder and unlawfully carrying a handgun. Investigators said Hines is not enrolled in a Houston ISD school. The charges are allegations, and Hines has not been convicted in Warren’s death.
Authorities have said Warren and Hines may have known one another, possibly through social media, but police have not announced a motive. Investigators recovered a handgun when Hines was arrested but have not publicly determined whether it was the weapon used in the shooting. Court records say Hines told investigators he was armed because he believed someone was trying to harm him and that he heard his name before opening fire.
Warren’s death also came during a period in which other Houston-area families and schools were confronting deadly shootings involving teenagers. Days before Warren was killed, 15-year-old Royce Witchet was fatally shot near Westfield High School. A 14-year-old has been charged with murder in that case. The investigations are separate, and authorities have not indicated a connection between the shootings.
For Westbury students, Monday’s return shifted the immediate focus from the police search that followed Friday’s shooting to mourning a classmate and resuming school. Houston ISD said counseling and additional support would continue to be available as needed.
The criminal investigation into Warren’s death remained active Monday. Hines faces murder and handgun charges, while investigators continue working to establish a motive and determine whether the firearm recovered during his arrest was connected to the fatal shooting.
Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.