The family of a popular Mansfield teenager slain Thursday night is pleading with other young people to stay away from drugs -- acknowledging he was killed trying to sell marijuana.
Myles Rascon, 17, was shot to death outside the Whataburger restaurant directly across from Mansfield Legacy High School.
"Please, for yourself and your parents, you need to think about what you're fixing to do," Myles' father, Ernesto, told a few dozen friends who gathered at a makeshift memorial. "He was a smart kid. He had so much more that he needed to live in life that he didn't get to see over a stupid decision."
Myles Rascon was a junior at Legacy until he started hanging out with the wrong crowd and dropped out a few months ago, his father said.
Shane Austin, 20, was charged with the capital murder Thursday night. Myles' family said they don't know him.
Police didn't release many details about the case.
But the victim's family said they were told the suspect tried to grab a $300 bag of marijuana and run without paying. Myles Rascon chased after him and was shot, they said.
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"Don't mess with marijuana," Myles Rascon's sister, Denise, told the crowd while choking back tears. "It's stupid. Just get out of that."
Another sister, Dana, said he was too young to die so senselessly.
"He didn't have time to do anything," she said. "He never had his first car. He didn't do anything, you know?"
Ernesto Rascon said he hoped his son's wrong decision will serve as a lesson for everyone.
"They just need to think about what they're doing when they are outside of their home," he said. "You don't always have your parents around or somebody to look up to and can tell you you're doing the wrong thing."
