McKinley High School QB Bryant Lee Fatally Shot Days Before Graduation

Bryant Lee, a former high school quarterback at Louisiana's McKinley High School, was shot and killed Saturday morning after leaving a party.

He was 18.

"The entire faculty and staff at McKinley Senior High School wish to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Bryant Lee," a statement from McKinley High School read, per Marcus Brown of WAFB.

"Bryant was an 18-year-old dedicated scholar who put his academics above his job as the leader of our football team. Bryant transferred to McKinley High School from Scotlandville his sophomore year and joined the Panther football team as quarterback.

"Students and teachers alike will remember Bryant as intelligent, hard-working, focused, fun-loving and as having a great sense of humor. As a student, he was concerned about his grades; as an athlete, he played tough and gave it all he had. One of the characteristics coaches loved about him is that he was coachable. He was respected by his coaches and teammates."

According to a police report the station obtained, Lee was shot in the head by an unknown assailant in Baton Rouge around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.

McKinley High head football coach Ken Hilton said Lee was planning to attend Southern University and walk on to its football program. He was three days away from his high school graduation.

"I really think something is missing. Something is really missing," Hilton said. "It's a happy time. A day before Mother's Day, three days before he graduates."

Lee was previously shot in the leg during a drive-by shooting in November 2016.