Slaying of teen stuns Fort Bend Marshall

The Fort Bend community was rocked Tuesday by the death of Fort Bend Marshall football player Drew Conley.

Conley, a 17-year-old senior who played safety for the Buffalos, was allegedly shot and killed by his uncle at a southwest Houston home Monday night.

According to police, an argument broke out between the relatives, and the uncle grabbed a rifle and shot his nephew in the leg. Conley’s girlfriend took him to the hospital, where he died.

The uncle was taken into custody. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday night.

Fort Bend Marshall is preparing for Friday’s Class 5A Division II state semifinal against Corpus Christi Calallen. The game will be played at San Antonio’s Farris Stadium.

A prominent member of his team, Conley recorded five tackles — four solo — in Thursday’s Class 5A Division II Region III title game, which the Buffalos won 4743 over Huntsville.

Marshall coach James Williams said Conley’s death is a “pretty big blow to this team” and that he “was a great kid and made a huge impact on this campus.”

Reaction from his teammates and fellow Fort Bend Marshall students spoke to Conley’s reputation.

Lawrence Armstrong, a fresh-

man who knew Drew only through the football program, was around the school’s athletics facilities when the news was announced Tuesday morning.

“I saw everybody sitting there, and I asked what’s wrong,” Armstrong said. “They just told me Drew died. People on the varsity team were crying. It was just sad. Coaches throughout the whole day, even teachers (cried), because everybody knew him. He was special around here. He had the ability to go all the way.”

Marshall football players chimed in on Twitter throughout the day. Senior wide receiver Korey King tweeted about his last conversation with Conley and how excited the two were about moving on to the fifth round of the playoffs.

“I lost a teammate but even more a brother,” King tweeted. “Forever with me Drewster.”

Marshall’s football team account simply tweeted “Remember 3,” referencing Conley’s uniform number.