Classes continued inside the southwest Houston school while authorities investigated the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old senior nearby.
HOUSTON, Texas — Westbury High School was placed in secure mode Friday morning as Houston police and other law enforcement officers searched the surrounding neighborhood after a 17-year-old senior was fatally shot near the campus.
The security measure kept attention focused on protecting the school while homicide investigators worked outside. Houston ISD officials said the shooting did not happen on campus, and the school was not placed on lockdown. Students were reported safe and instruction continued as officers searched nearby areas and investigated the killing.
Houston police said the shooting occurred at about 8:20 a.m. near Dryad Drive and Chimney Rock Road. Investigators said people had gathered at an off-campus location when someone came from a wooded area. Police believe an exchange of words followed before a handgun was produced and shots were fired. The 17-year-old student suffered fatal injuries.
Houston ISD police and a school staff member responded after the shooting and attempted lifesaving measures while paramedics were on the way, according to reports citing authorities. The student, identified by police as a Westbury High School senior, died from his injuries. His name had not been publicly released Friday.
The shooting brought a heavy law enforcement presence to the neighborhood surrounding the school. Officers canvassed nearby apartment buildings and wooded areas as investigators searched for the shooter. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers also assisted with the response. Police were looking for surveillance recordings and speaking with witnesses who could help reconstruct the encounter.
Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said investigators were working to make the area safe and take the person responsible into custody. Authorities had not released a suspect description as of Friday morning, and no arrest had been announced. Police also had not disclosed a possible motive or said whether the student and the shooter knew each other.
The distinction between a secure mode and a lockdown reflected where the violence occurred. District officials said the incident happened off school grounds, allowing instruction to continue inside while access to the campus was restricted because of the nearby police activity. The response left students and staff inside the school as officers concentrated their search beyond the campus.
Westbury High School is located at 11911 Chimney Rock Road in southwest Houston. The campus serves grades nine through 12. The shooting scene was nearby, and police activity extended into the surrounding neighborhood as investigators checked areas where the person responsible might have traveled after the gunfire.
The fatal shooting came during a week in which another Houston-area school community was dealing with a student’s death from gun violence. A 15-year-old Westfield High School student was killed in a separate shooting near that campus earlier in the week. Authorities arrested a 14-year-old suspect in that case. Officials had not reported any connection between the Westfield and Westbury shootings.
At Westbury, investigators continued interviewing witnesses and seeking surveillance video Friday as the search for the shooter remained active. Authorities had not announced an arrest, identified a motive or publicly named the student who was killed.
Author note: Last updated September 25, 2026.