HISD might have prevented gang attack, councilwoman says

The Houston school district could have done more to prevent Gabriel Granillo's murder at Chew Park last week, City Councilwoman Sue Lovell said — which, as you'd expect, made HISD a little defensive. Remember that Ashley Paige Benton, the 16-year-old girl in custody for Granillo's murder, attends Lamar High School and some of the kids involved in the ambush at the park June 6 were reportedly wearing clothing with Lamar insignia? Lovell says parents have told her the problems that led to the attack started that morning at the Lamar campus, about three miles from the park.

"HISD must step forward, must acknowledge a problem and must reach out to the people that can help them," Lovell said. "Not ignore them, nor shove it off to the neighborhoods where it does become a problem and where people get hurt."

District officials say the attack didn't have anything to do with Lamar, though: "The victim was not a student at Lamar. The person suspected in the case has been a Lamar student for only a few weeks," an unnamed HISD spokesperson told KPRC. The spokesperson added that police haven't linked Lamar to the incident.