Teen fatally shot on east side

A 15-year-old boy visiting a friend’s east Houston home the day before Thanksgiving may have fatally shot himself in the head, according to police.

Houston police identified the teen as Kenneth Benjamin Jr. and said he died around 1 a.m. Wednesday in the 9100 block of Shagbark Drive. The boy, whom his friends called “Worm,” was with several other teenagers at the time of the shooting, police said. At least one of them, also 15, told authorities he was in the same room when it happened, police said.

At least one adult was home when it happened, Houston police Lt. Warren Meeler said. The man who owned the house, Benjamin Tyler, died in late October, according to an obituary.

In the hours before his death, Kenneth could be seen posing with multiple firearms — including an aquamarinecolored handgun, a small black pistol and what appears to be a long rifle — in photos shared to his Instagram account.

Investigators have found no sign of suicidal behavior from the teen and that the gunshot was “potentially selfinflicted,” Meeler said.

A woman who declined to be identified said her grandson was at the home with Kenneth and that he was killed while playing with the weapon.

A Shagbark Drive neighbor, Novella Perry, slept through the fatal shooting but her young grandson was awake and “heard a big bang.” Perry has also heard gun shots periodically ring out from the home in recent weeks, she said.

Another neighbor, Claudette Wyatt, said she believes the gunfire at the home may be linked to her husband’s shattered truck window.

“The man who owned the house died about a month ago,” Wyatt said. “And since he died — it’s been a bunch of teenagers hanging out. They shoot every Sunday.”