A 17-year-old Texas high school student was shot and killed while trying to sell marijuana to two suspects on Christmas Eve, police said.
The incident took place shortly after 9pm on Sunday when officers with the Irving Police Department responded to a shooting report in the 200 block of Red River Trail.
Arriving at the scene, the cops found 17-year-old Brett Adkins, of Plano, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the left chest.
Botched drug deal: Brett Adkins (left and right), 17, of Plano, Texas, was fatally shot during what police described as a marijuana sale-gone-wrong on Christmas Eve
Adkins was found shot in the chest in the 200 block of Red River Trail in Irving on Sunday night
The Plano West High School student was rushed to Baylor Hospital in Grapevine, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on Christmas Day.
According to a press release from the police department, the initial investigation has revealed that Adkins drove from Plano to Irving to conduct a marijuana sale.
During the meeting with his potential buyers, police say one suspect brandished a handgun and a fight broke out.
As Adkins fought with the two suspects, police say one of them fired a single round that struck the teenager in the chest. Both suspects then fled the scene on foot.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Adkins enrolled in Plano West Senior High School in 2017 and was expected to graduate in 2019.
The son of prominent local businessman Bill Adkins, Adkins had spent the summer working at one of his father’s car dealerships as a car washer and volunteered his time at an animal rescue organization.
Respectable family: Brett’s father, Bill Adkins (left), is a prominent local car dealer. His mother Vicki is a fashion stylist (right)
High school kid: Adkins enrolled in Plano West Senior High School in 2017 and was expected to graduate in 2019
Brett’s father *far right) is president of Trophy Nissan, Toyota of Dallas and Nissan of McKinney, where the teen worked as a car washer over the summer
‘As of now, I am focusing on my grades to achieve a high GPA and get into a good school,’ his profile says. ‘Because I am a people person, I would one day like to end up in a career where I can be involved with people from various backgrounds.’
Brett’s father is president of Trophy Nissan, Toyota of Dallas and Nissan of McKinney. His mother, Vicki Adkins, is a fashion stylist, according to her Facebook profile. The couple have been married for 25 years and have a 20-year-old daughter.
On September 15, Brett’s mother wished him a happy 17th birthday, writing in a Facebook post: ‘may this be your BEST YEAR EVER.’
According to Mrs Adkins’ most recent social media post from December 20, Brett’s parents, sister and grandparents were spending the winter holidays together in Belize. It’s unclear why the 17-year-old did not join the family on the trip.
Anyone with information on the fatal shooting is being asked to call the Irving Police Department at 972-273-1010.
On September 15, Brett’s mother posted a childhood photo of her son (right) and wished him a happy 17th birthday, writing in a Facebook post: ‘may this be your BEST YEAR EVER