Kenneth “Trae” Leaks III was gunned down just four days after graduating from Manvel High School. Now, a suspect has been charged.
HOUSTON — An arrest has been made in connection with the death of a standout Manvel High School student athlete.
Zion Armon Mitchell, 18, is charged with murder, accused of fatally shooting 18-year-old Kenneth “Trae” Leaks III.
According to Houston police, the shooting happened May 24 in the parking lot of an apartment complex located at North Braeswood Boulevard near Braesmont Drive. Officers were called to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital after a male gunshot victim was admitted.
Editor’s note: The video above is from a previous report, before an arrest was made.
That victim was later identified as Leaks, who later died from his injuries.
According to investigators, Leaks was meeting someone at the complex for a transaction. While seated inside a vehicle, he was approached by several males. During the encounter, one of the individuals, now believed to be Mitchell, pulled a firearm and opened fire, striking Leaks at least once.
A second victim, a 17-year-old male, was also hit by gunfire. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Mitchell was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with that.
Last month, KHOU 11’s Trason Bragg spoke to Leaks’ family.
“He had such tenacity,” said Leaks’ aunt, Naya Merchant. “He was one of those people who, whatever he set his mind to, he was going to do it.”
Leaks, known for his leadership and drive, had earned a full athletic scholarship to attend Sterling College in Kansas. His family said he was just weeks away from moving into his dorm to begin the next chapter of his life.
“He was actually the first in his immediate family to graduate high school. Just a major accomplishment. We are so very proud of him. Very proud,” Merchant told KHOU 11 News.