Best friend of Naval Academy freshman whose mother was killed shares heartbreaking note

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The former teammate and best friend of Leonard "Trey" Cummings III, whose mother was killed in Maryland early Tuesday, says supporting Trey is his number one priority.

Marcus Moore, Jr. Trey's teammate at Westfield High School, was part of a senior parade in 2020 when their families celebrated the boys' acceptance to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

FROM MAY 2020: Spring trio headed to Naval Academy honored with parade

Trey's mother, 57-year-old Michelle Cummings, was killed in a shooting while sitting on the patio of her Annapolis hotel. She and her husband were there to drop off Trey at the academy and attend his induction ceremony.

According to Annapolis police, two people, who were the intended targets of the shooting, were sitting in a parked SUV on a nearby street just after midnight Tuesday when shots were fired. They weren't hurt and have been interviewed by police.

However, Cummings, who was sitting on a hotel patio, was hit by a stray bullet and died.

Federal and state officials are offering a $22,000 reward for information leading to the killer.

On Wednesday, Moore shared a picture of he and Trey, along with a message.

"I love my brother with everything I got in me. Regardless of whatever happens, I'm going to be there for him and his family. I have went through plebe year at the academy so I know what to expect, and I'm going to make sure he gets through every rough patch and every bump in the road. He's been my brother since 6th grade and I played against him in little league football. He's one of my best friends. Mrs. Cummings has been my team mom since my 7th grade year and she was Trey's number one fan. If you know Trey, you know he's close with his mother. I know he's hurting, but I'm here for him in every which way. As soon as I heard, I came down to see about my boy, make sure he was good, stayed with him the whole day. Right now, he's my number one priority because if it was me, he will do the same and I love him."

The Naval Academy gave Trey the option to defer, but he has chosen to go forward.

Trey is part of the Class of 2025. The freshmen, known as plebes, were dropped off by their parents and go through a check-in process, including learning to salute, hair cuts and medical exams.

The process begins what's known as plebe summer, which is six weeks of basic training.

Lt. Col. Todd McCarthy, officer in charge of plebe summer, told WJLA he admires Trey.

"I couldn't be prouder of that young man, and when I say that I speak for all the leadership, we are so proud of him. And of course our prayers and condolences go out to the family. It's an unthinkable tragedy," McCarthy said. "He has made the choice to stay here and join us for Plebe Summer so we're taking care of him in every way we can. The entire team, the entire Naval Academy family, surrounded him and we're doing everything we can for him."

Trey's former high school football team is also showing support, writing in a tweet, "We love you Ms Cummings, you'll truly be missed."

Understandably, Trey has not spoken publicly since his mother's death.

His last tweet was on Tuesday, the day she was killed. He wrote only one word, "Why?"

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