Derrick Houston Jr. Had A Bright Future. A Shooting Then Took The Arsenal Tech Student's Life

At age 15, Derek Huston Jr.'s life showed great potential.

His friends call him the leader of their group. Apart from his love for football, he once expressed his desire to become a car mechanic and have his own workshop.

Last week, his mother received a letter saying he had been accepted into the ^21st Century Scholarship program, which helps families afford higher education.

The following day, April 20, these opportunities were stolen from him.

That Thursday morning, at a bus stop in the 3700 block of Brain Drive, not far from East 38th Street and North Post Road, where he went every school day, Houston was shot and killed. The bus driver found about 20 students lying on the grass and called 911. The 15-year-old Arsenal Technical School student was taken to Eskenazi Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Just the teenager who was shot dead by the bus driver and students

Indianapolis Public Schools Director Alicia Johnson tweeted her condolences to Houston's family and later made strong comments about gun violence against youth in the city.

"This is not normal," she said. We have put in place policies, rules and conditions that kill our future.

For the Houston family, the teenager's future holds great potential.

"This is a child who would have been a great leader if his life hadn't been taken," said Houston's grandmother, Virginia Hill.

Describe how he helped his sister learn to ride a bike, or how his friends were a gentleman who made sure everyone was in order.

"He was like a father figure to our whole team," friend Takeya Lenny said.

Hill now wonders how far his nephew can go given his potential.

Read more: Fundraising for Derrick Houston Jr.'s funeral

"Because if children had described him like that when he was fifteen years old, what would he have presented if they had imagined him after the trials of life and growing up," she said.

Now he's asking anyone who knows what happened to come forward. His parents are Shanika Davis and Derek Huston Sr. They are "broken" and want justice for their son.

He said, "Don't let this innocent child's life go to waste." "Pull yourself together, because it could be them. It could be her little brother, and her niece, and her son."

Indianapolis police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact detectives. Ryan Clark at 317-327-3475 or email ryan.clark@indy.gov. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling the Central Indiana Crime Squad at 317-262-8477.

Contact Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com.

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