Police said the person of interest knew the 17-year-old victim, but a motive has not been publicly released.
PLANO, Texas — Plano police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old found in an alley behind a home, with authorities saying they have identified a person of interest who knew the teenager.
Officers and Plano Fire-Rescue personnel were dispatched to the 900 block of Middle Cove Drive at about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 13 after a shooting was reported. First responders found the teenager with a gunshot wound in the alley behind a home. He was declared dead at the scene, according to police.
The investigation has since centered on determining what led to the shooting and establishing the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death. Police told FOX 4 that investigators had identified a person of interest who knew the victim. Authorities had not publicly released that person’s name or announced a motive in the shooting.
The Plano Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit is handling the investigation. Police have released limited details about what happened before officers arrived, including whether investigators believe the teenager was specifically targeted or what may have led to the shooting.
The victim’s name had not been publicly released in the reports available after the shooting. Police initially said the identity was being withheld while authorities worked to notify the victim’s next of kin. Officials later confirmed to FOX 4 that the victim was a 17-year-old male.
Police also said the teenager regularly cut hair from a garage near the location where he was found. Authorities have not publicly said whether that activity had any connection to the shooting. Investigators have not released a detailed account of the teenager’s movements before the shooting or described what evidence was recovered at the scene.
Police spokesperson Jerry Minton said investigators wanted justice for the teenager and his family. The statement came as detectives continued gathering information about the case and seeking evidence that could clarify what happened in the residential alley.
The shooting drew police and emergency crews to the neighborhood near Middle Cove Drive and Branch Hollow. The area was temporarily closed to through traffic while investigators worked at the scene. The department’s initial public notice described the case as a murder investigation.
Several major questions remain unanswered, including what prompted the shooting and what role, if any, the identified person of interest may have played. Police have not publicly described evidence connecting that person to the teenager’s death beyond saying the individual was known to the victim.
The investigation remains active. Plano police have asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the department as detectives continue working to establish the events that led to the teenager’s death.
Author note: Last updated October 15, 2026.