Father of 15-year-old shooting victim speaks out: 'No parent should go through this'

Elaina Athans Image
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
'No parent should go through this' Father of 15-year-old shooting victim speaks out
"No parent should go through this - no parent," said Montague. "My son was a great kid in my eyes."

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The father of a 15-year-old Raleigh high school student is speaking about the pain his family is going through and the justice they want.

Tracey Montague picked up his son's body at UNC Hospital Tuesday afternoon and there was a police escort.

"No parent should go through this - no parent," said Montague. "My son was a great kid in my eyes."

The Leesville High School student was seriously injured last Monday in a shooting in Downtown Raleigh.

Montague says he should have been in school at the time.

"I really don't know. I'm just as clueless as everyone else, why was he downtown?" questioned Montague.

22-year-old Steven Stanley is accused of killing the teenager and is being held without bond.

Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson has offered her condolences to the victim's family and previously said in a statement, "Acts of gun violence have no place in our community."

The teen's dad says with the way things are going in the world, he took steps to try and protect his son even giving a bulletproof vest to wear.

"I knew what was going on at the time, so I was like okay 'Son, you need to wear this whenever you step out of the house and that day, he chose not to, and what happened, what happened," said Montague, who also shared says the family hasn't made plans yet to bury the teenager.

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