18-Year-Old Baton Rouge, La., Honor Student Dies of Gunshot Wounds 3 Days Before Graduation

Tragically, yet another young black man has fallen to gun violence.

A senior at McKinley High School in Baton Rouge, La., and former starting quarterback died Saturday evening from a gunshot wound after a party celebrating the upcoming graduation, WAFB reports.

Bryant Lee, 18, was shot in the head early Saturday morning in North Baton Rouge. He was rushed to Our Lady of the Lake hospital but died from the injuries he suffered, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish coroner.

The former starting high school quarterback was a 3.5 GPA student and headed to Southern University to study engineering this fall, according to family.

“He was talking about going on to college, walking on to play football, and now this,” said McKinley Football coach Ken Hilton. “This is a real tough pill to swallow.”

It was the second time in six months that Lee had been shot in the same part of Baton Rouge. In November, he was hit in the leg during a drive-by shooting. In both shootings, family and friends said, he was an innocent bystander.

“I really think something is missing. Something is really missing,” Hilton said. “It’s a happy time. A day before Mother’s Day, three days before he graduates.”

The hashtag #McKinleyHigh was trending on Twitter Sunday morning.

Read more at WAFB-9.