Lufkin Police ID Victim Shot Outside High School Basketball Game

Lufkin Police have released the name of the person that was shot while on the grounds of the Lufkin Middle School campus, just outside a gym where Lufkin and Nacogdoches were playing a district basketball game.  The victim in Tuesday night's shooting is La’Patrick Wright, 17, of Nacogdoches. He remains in critical condition in a Houston hospital.

According to a press release, Wright and a friend were at the front of Lufkin Middle School near the horse-shoe drive when they were approached by two men. There was a brief exchange between Wright and the men, followed by at least four shots.

Four Lufkin Police officers were working security at the Lufkin/Nacogdoches basketball game when they heard the shots. They ran to the front of the school to find Wright on the ground and immediately called it in around 8:30 p.m.

Wright was taken to a local hospital where he was stabilized and flown to Houston.

The suspects fled the scene on foot down Denman Avenue toward Martha Street. Wright’s friend described them as two black males - one tall wearing a dark-colored hoodie and the other wearing light-blue pants with a white stripe.

Police do not believe the shooting had anything to do with a school rivalry

Anyone with information is asked to call the Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS if they wish to remain anonymous.