Slain Prairie View student reportedly owed suspect money

A Prairie View A&M University student who was found shot to death on Friday was a junior kinesiology major aspiring to become a football coach, family members said.

Tristan Houston, 20, had been missing since Wednesday. Ayinde Williams, 19, also a student at the college, was arrested and booked Friday night into the Waller County Jail on a murder charge, held on $150,000 bail.

Kylie Paige Hardy, the fiancée of Houston’s brother, said Houston had owed Williams money. He left his girlfriend’s house at about 11 p.m. Wednesday, she said. His body was found in a wooded area along a country road outside of Hockley. He’d been shot in the head, Hardy said.

“Anyone who knew Tristan knows that he had a heart of gold and would help anyone who needed it,” she said. “His smile would light up any room.”

Houston played football at Wharton High School, where he graduated in 2014, Hardy said. She and Houston’s brother, Collin, plan to name the son they are expecting after him.

“He loved his mom and his family,” said another close friend who asked not to be named because of the ongoing sheriff’s investigation. “All he wanted to do was be successful in life. He acted rough and tough, but he was actually really quite sweet.”

The sheriff ’s office provided few details. Hardy said she believes officials are seeking a second suspect.

In a Facebook post Friday night, the sheriff’s department wrote, “Such a tragic end to a young life” and asked that people keep the family in their thoughts and prayers.

It was the first of two acts of violence related to Prairie View last week. Another person apparently died near campus early Saturday after shots were

fired at a party, according to television reports.

The university released a statement Saturday afternoon saying it “is deeply saddened by the loss of our students” and offering condolences.

“While it is outside of the University Police Department’s jurisdiction to police off campus, we are fully cooperating with ongoing investigations” by the sheriff ’s office and Texas Rangers, the statement said.