Lamar High School students involved in apparent murder-suicide identified

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Both of the boys involved in an apparent murder-suicide at a luxury apartment complex in Upper Kirby have been identified.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences says 15-year-old Samuel Yeargain and 15-year-old Pierce Schwartz were found dead inside an apartment in the 3100 block of Buffalo Speedway.

The mother of one of the teens discovered their bodies when she came home at 5:20 p.m. Thursday.

Detectives describe the students as best friends.

Police say a firearm found inside the apartment is owned by the teen's family who lives there.

Police would not say which teen was the shooter, if there appeared to be a struggle or if any note was left behind.

The mother who found her son and the other teen told police her son was having issues recently.

"She did indicate that he might have had, you know, chronic mental issues," said HPD Assistant Police Chief Henry Gaw.

HISD officials say it does not appear that the murder-suicide was the result of anything that happened at the high school.

McSwain is a former principal at Lamar High School. As area superintendent, McSwain was at Lamar on Friday.

He says the school already has an extensive service center set up for kids to talk about issues they are having.

"They actually have social workers, psychologists, licensed practicing counselors on hand and they have the ability to reach out through their network to bring in other resources," McSwain explained.

Thursday night, HISD released a statement about the boys' deaths:

"The Houston Independent School District is saddened to learn about the tragic deaths of two students from Lamar High School that occurred off-campus. We extend our deepest sympathies to each student's family and friends, as well as the school community. The district is making grief counselors available at Lamar to assist school administrators and students."

McSwain says he has seen tragic situations at schools for decades and adds support for students at Lamar High School will remain available for weeks to come.

As for preventing something like this, he says it is vitally important that parents let their kids know that no matter what, Mom and Dad will love and support them. Doing that keeps the line of communication open and could prevent a tragedy.