text: Teen's family wants criminal charges in shooting Man accused of shooting boy caught in his daughter's room 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Photo: Courtesy Of Johran McCormick's F Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Image 1 of 9 Johran McCormick, 17, was fatally shot after being found in a teenage girl's bedroom. Johran McCormick, 17, was fatally shot after being found in a teenage girl's bedroom. Photo: Courtesy Of Johran McCormick's F Image 2 of 9 Shawn Curley sits on the bed of his son, Johran, on Friday. Shawn Curley sits on the bed of his son, Johran, on Friday. Photo: Cody Duty, Staff Image 3 of 9 Friends and classmates light candles during a vigil for McCormick at his neighborhood's Dove Meadows Park in Spring on Friday. Friends and classmates light candles during a vigil for McCormick at his neighborhood's Dove Meadows Park in Spring on Friday. Photo: Tony Bullard, For The Chronicle Image 4 of 9 Parents Zakia McCormick and Shawn Curley grieve with pastor Ginny Brown Daniel during the vigil. Parents Zakia McCormick and Shawn Curley grieve with pastor Ginny Brown Daniel during the vigil. Photo: Tony Bullard, For The Chronicle Image 5 of 9 Classmates at the vigil. Classmates at the vigil. Photo: Tony Bullard, For The Chronicle Image 6 of 9 Mourners include Natalie Portillo 17, left; Jennifer Sosa, 16; Beyra Avila, 17; Grace Germon, 17; and Alysia Grimm, 17. Mourners include Natalie Portillo 17, left; Jennifer Sosa, 16; Beyra Avila, 17; Grace Germon, 17; and Alysia Grimm, 17. Photo: © Tony Bullard 2014, Tony Bullard Image 7 of 9 Mourner Carol Villalva, 18 Mourner Carol Villalva, 18 Photo: Tony Bullard, For The Chronicle Image 8 of 9 Friends and classmates light candles Friends and classmates light candles Photo: Tony Bullard, For The Chronicle Image 9 of 9 Teen's family wants criminal charges in shooting 1 / 9 Back to Gallery 
   
   Johran McCormick's mother slowly shook her head Friday as she stared at the floor of her modest Spring home and cried. 
   
   She couldn't believe her 17-year-old son was killed while sneaking around with the 16-year-old girl he was apparently dating. 
   
   She didn't know why he had secretly returned from New Orleans, where he was supposed to be enjoying spring break with friends for the rest of the week. 
   
   And she couldn't understand why the man accused of firing the fatal shot Thursday is not behind bars. 
   
   "If you take a life, you give your life," Zakia McCormick said behind tears. "We're suffering. Why isn't he suffering, too?" 
   
   The Harris County Sheriff's Office has said the investigation continues and, when complete, will be forwarded to a grand jury to determine if charges should be filed. 
   
   Experts said getting an indictment for murder, much less a conviction, is unlikely based on the story that has emerged. 
   
   "If it's perceived that there is a 'stranger' in his home, there could be a viable claim of self-defense or defense of others," said Todd Dupont, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. The grand jurors will have to look at what the father believed at the time of the shooting, Dupont said. 
   
   Law enforcement agencies on Friday would not answer questions about the investigation. 
   
   Late-night visitor 
   
   The girl's father and his family did not respond to requests for an interview. 
   
   On Thursday, Harris County investigators said the girl let the boy into the house, in the 22000 block of Bridgestone Ridge. The father told investigators he heard noises coming from her bedroom about 2:30 a.m. He went to investigate and found Johran McCormick in the room. An altercation broke out, officials said, and then the boy was shot once. 
   
   Zakia McCormick and the teen's father, Shawn Curley, said they believe he was in bed with the girl when her father came into her bedroom with a gun. 
   
   The boy's family said they were told by authorities and others that the girl denied she knew the young man in her bedroom - sparking a deadly confrontation. They said they were also told that when Johran McCormick reached down for something, the girl's father thought he was going for a weapon and shot him in the head. 
   
   It was a tragic outcome that could have been avoided, they said. 
   
   "I wish the father could have asked more questions, he could have picked up the phone," Curley said. "And for her to say she didn't know who he was, that was most hurtful." 
   
   'Wasn't an accident' 
   
   Both said they want the 55-year-old father charged with murder and sentenced to life in prison. He has not been arrested or charged with a crime. 
   
   "It wasn't an accident," Curley said. "You don't shoot someone in the head on accident." 
   
   The day of the shooting, McCormick and Curley thought their son was still in New Orleans for spring break and was not due home until Sunday. 
   
   They believe he caught an early ride back and arrived in Houston late Wednesday. Once back in the neighborhood, they said, he arranged to sneak into the girl's home, adding that they didn't know the two were dating. 
   
   "For him to be in someone else's house at 2:30 in the morning is shocking to us," Curley said. He said he warned his son often to be wary. 
   
   Tried to be realistic 
   
   "Every day one of us would tell him, 'Don't go by no little girl's house if her parents don't know you,' " Curley said. 
   
   The couple said they've tried to teach their children to be cautious about the world but tried to be realistic about raising a teenager. 
   
   "I was a teenager once too," McCormick said. "And I know what teen­agers do." 
   
   They said the Klein Collins junior was a typical teen who loved to skateboard, play video games and make music on his computer. 
   
   Full of energy and excited about making his way in the world, Johran McCormick was considering enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, his mother said. He was also looking at a career as a mechanic. 
   
   Typical big brother 
   
   "He just had big dreams," his mother said. 
   
   His sister, 14-year-old Diamond, said he was all the things a big brother should be - kind, cruel and always comedic. She was looking forward to being a high school freshman next year while he would be a senior. 
   
   "He told me he was going to drive to school," she said, "but I would still have to ride the bus." 
   
   Later Friday, about 50-60 people gathered at a community park near the boy's home. 
   
   Justin Gil was friends with Johran McCormick for a decade. 
   
   "He opened his heart when I first came here. I'll never forget him," Gil said. "I'm feeling heartbroken." 
   
   Chronicle reporters Mike Glenn and Anita Hassan contributed to this report. ||||| Family of teen boy killed after sneaking into girlfriend’s bedroom wants girl charged 
   
   HOUSTON – Family, friends and supporters of Johran McCormick, the teen who was shot and killed by his girlfriend’s father, want the girlfriend to be held accountable for her role in his death. 
   
   Led by Community Activist Quanell X, the group rallied Wednesday morning with the victim’s mother, Zakia McCormick, in front of the home where he was killed. 
   
   The 17-year-old boy was shot inside the Spring-area home on Bridgestone Lakes subdivision off FM 2920 on March 13. 
   
   Investigators said the father accused in the shooting woke up to find Johran in his 16-year-old daughter’s bedroom around 2:30 a.m. According to detectives, the daughter snuck Johran in, but told her dad a different story when confronted. 
   
   Her younger brother went to say good night and saw two feet sticking out from underneath the bed, detectives said. He then went to get his father. 
   
   The father walked in and asked questions, but his daughter claimed to not know McCormick. The father then called 911, but an argument ensued with the teenage boy. 
   
   The father told deputies that Johran dropped his hands as if to grab something, so he opened fire. Johran was shot in the head and died at the scene. 
   
   The Harris County Grand Jury will decide if the father is to face charges, but many think the teen girl is also at fault. 
   
   Johran’s family and supporters demand that Houston District Attorney Devon Anderson motion to file either one to two counts of accessory to murder, or involuntary manslaughter against the young girl who they say intentionally lied to her father, which led to Johran’s death.
target: – The family of the 17-year-old Texas boy who was shot and killed after sneaking into his girlfriend's bedroom says the girlfriend should be charged in his death. The 16-year-old girl has not been identified, but a grand jury is deciding whether her father should face any charges for shooting the teen after finding him in his daughter's bedroom. However, the family of victim Johran McCormick says the DA should also take action against his daughter, because she allegedly lied to her father and said she didn't know Johran—which arguably led to his death. Their idea: The girl could be charged with accessory to murder or even involuntary manslaughter, KHOU reports. Activists including Johran's mom, Zakia McCormick, rallied yesterday in front of the home where he died. But earlier this month, experts told the Houston Chronicle that an indictment for murder against the father would be unlikely. Says one, "If it's perceived that there is a 'stranger' in his home, there could be a viable claim of self-defense or defense of others."