Bec Oakes
A 14-year-old boy has been fatally shot by a woman whose home he was trying to burgle.
Just before 3am on Thursday (14 December), police received a 911 call from a woman reporting an attempted burglary at an apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas.
Officers responded to the call and then left to file an official report.
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Just a short while later, they were called out to the complex near I-20 and McCart Avenue again, with the same woman saying the burglar had returned.
But, when they returned to the scene, officers were shocked to find a teenage boy lying on the ground in the front yard with a gunshot wound to his chest.
Paramedics quickly responded but the boy later died at the scene.
Forth Worth police say it was the woman who made the 911 call that shot and killed him.
No arrests have been made, but the woman is said to cooperating with the investigation.
She told officers she thought the teen was trying to get into her home after she had previously reported multiple attempted break-ins. She had made three reports prior to the events on Thursday morning.
It has since been learnt that the teenager was Devin Baker, an eighth-grade student at nearby Rosemont Middle School.
Durwyn Lamb, who runs multiple community youth programs in North Texas, was set to have a mentoring session with him at the school later that day.
He learnt about the 14-year-old's death from his teacher.
Speaking to Fox4, Lamb said: "Today was just like, dang. I just… I wasn’t expecting that. Even though I expect that, unfortunately, in the community and the culture, I wasn’t expecting that today. And that hurt me."
Baker's family have also spoken out following his death. His mother, Latoiya Landers, told Forth Worth's Star-Telegram that he was a 'fun-loving boy' who loved art, did well at school and had recently joined the basketball team.
Landers said: "He used to tell me, 'Mamma, watch. I’m going to make something of myself.' I told him, 'Yes you are, but you’re going to stay in school, too'."
She said that the thing he wanted most in life was to have a big family that he could take care of.
Baker's family say he didn't have a weapon and can’t imagine him trying to break into someone's home. They are struggling to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding his death.