Plano Teen Described Shooter Before He Died
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Police are asking for the public's help in finding a killer. A North Texas teen with dreams of becoming a recording artist was gunned down in a quiet Plano neighborhood Thursday. Monty Payne, 18, died Friday morning from his injuries.
Payne was standing in front of his friend's home on Tree House Lane when someone shot him. The teen was able to give a brief description of the suspect, and now there's hope that nearby security cameras may help track down the shooter.
Despite a troubled youth Payne had become a popular young man with plans for a future in music. Herb Harmon knew him for years as his son's friend.
"He had a great career, a great life ahead of him. I mean he was only 18-years-old. Good kid, and unfortunately, he just ran into the wrong person," Harmon said.
Payne had come by around 7 p.m. to visit Harmon's son, but his son wasn't home. Payne had just stepped outside for a few minutes when Harmon heard a gunshot. Soon Payne rushed back inside bleeding.
"That's the first thing that was in my mind, is the suspect was going to come in the house and try to finish off the job," Harmon said.
But the suspect was gone. Payne was only able to give a limited description of the shooter, but he specifically mentioned a white pickup truck that may have come from the alley behind the home.
"One was a white truck, pickup truck, which is what the police told me they were looking for, and then there was three other ones," neighbor Rick Simmons said.
Simmons lives next door. Detectives are reviewing video shot by his security cameras that he hopes help catch the killer.
"A lot of times neighborhoods that are normal-looking neighborhoods are good sources for people doing things that are not lawful because people tend not to look for them in these type of neighborhoods," Simmons said.
As the investigation continues, Payne's friends want people to remember him as a young man full of promise.
"He was a good kid. He had a good head on his shoulders, you know he was typical 18-year-old boy that was out here doing his thing and trying to make a better self out of him," Harmon said.
Police describe this as an isolated incident, and they say they don't believe there is any ongoing danger to the community related to this case.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)