BEAUMONT, Texas — The name of a Houston teen who was fatally shot Sunday morning at a Beaumont apartment complex has been released by Beaumont Police.
Police say that Zavion Massey, 17, of Houston, was attempting to drive away in a stolen car when the car's owner shot him in the parking lot of the West End Crossing Apartments at 6550 Phelan Blvd.
Officers were sent to the apartments, where the car owner lives, at about 10 a.m. according to Sgt. Tom Swope of the Beaumont Police Department.
"The preliminary investigation revealed the suspect, the deceased person was attempting to steal the vehicle confronted by the new vehicle owner," Beaumont Police Officer Haley Morrow said.
The car's owner was briefly detained by police and questioned Swope told 12News,
A white Nissan SUV at the scene appeared to have bullet holes in the windshield on the driver's side and had crashed into a fence at the complex.
As of right now, the owner is not facing charges.
"The detectives at the time did not place him under arrest, so it's still under investigation," Morrow said.
Jefferson County Precinct One Justice of the Peace Ben Collins Sr. has ordered an autopsy.
Detectives are investigating the shooting and will present their findings to the District Attorney's office to determine if any charges will be filed.
Beaumont Attorney Bruce Smith weighed in on the use of deadly force.
"You may have the right to use deadly force, the law says it really is the last resort, and it's all going to come down to a judge and jury believes your conduct was reasonable under the circumstances," Smith said.
Smith says self defense is complicated and in this case, there are still too many lingering questions.
"There is all kinds of questions, that come in it's not just well if a, b, c, d happens then i'm ok. I can take somebody's life, well no. section 9 of the penal code just doesn't make it that simple," he said.
Teen shot, killed during attempted car theft Sunday in Beaumont
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
Read the original Beaumont Police Department news release...
At 10 AM this morning officers received a call to respond to a shooting at 6550 Phelan -West End Crossing Apartments. Upon arrival they found one male deceased and took one male into custody. At this time in the investigation it appears to be an isolated incident and the public is safe. Detectives are on scene continuing their investigation and more information will be released as it is available.