A Grayson High School freshman said he and his sixth period classmates were thrilled when the final exam ended Wednesday morning. It was officially time for the holiday break.
Abiodun Anifowoshe, 15, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he saw a close friend, Paul Sampleton, after the final bell rang.
He was smiling, listening to music, Abiodun said. He got on his bus, I got on mine. We were all happy.
Within three hours, Paul would be found dead, the victim of a homicide that Gwinnett County believe started as a robbery at the teens home.
Investigators were called to a townhome in the 2700 block of Haynescrest Drive, off U.S. 78, around 2:40 p.m., Cpl. Jake Smith with Gwinnett police said. The teens father found the teen shot to death inside the home, Smith said.
Police quickly ruled out suicide or an accidental shooting, calling Pauls death a homicide.
On what should have been a carefree afternoon, the teens friends and classmates were shocked to learn of the death of the outgoing, smiling teen who moved to the area before the start of the school year.
I was shocked, Manny Perez, a friend of Pauls, told The AJC. Weve had some people die here, but its been car wrecks. Never someone purposely kill somebody.
Paul played on the freshman football team and played baseball, according to his friends. But he had one hobby that made him stand out from others.
He did love his shoes, Abiodun said. The new Jordans and Nikes that came out, Paul was always the first to get them.
Manny said his friend had at least 20 pairs of high-end, high-priced basketball shoes. Paul not only wore them, but sometimes traded them or sold them, his friends said.
Classmates speculated that Pauls love of shoes could have led to his death, but investigators declined to release details about a motive or any suspects Wednesday night. Police did not say whether or not they believe Paul was specifically targeted.
Its just hard to believe its Paul, Abiodun said. He just loved coming to school, smiling and telling jokes, and making people laugh.
