HOUSTON — The family of a standout Manvel High School student-athlete is pleading for answers after 18-year-old Kenneth “Trae” Leaks III was gunned down just four days after graduating.

Photos and decorations still hang inside the Leaks' family home — a bittersweet reminder of Trae’s achievements both on and off the field.

"He had such tenacity," said Trae’s aunt, Naya Merchant. "He was one of those people who, whatever he set his mind to, he was going to do it."

Trae, known for his leadership and drive, had earned a full athletic scholarship to attend Sterling College in Kansas. His family said he was just weeks away from moving into his dorm to begin the next chapter of his life.

"He was actually the first in his immediate family to graduate high school. Just a major accomplishment

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