Teen suspected of burglary told police he was there to buy pot. Then he died

Before Paul Brown III died from a gunshot wound to his stomach after collapsing in the front yard of a north Macon house, he'd knocked on the front door and asked a man who lives there to call police.

The wounded 17-year-old was lying in the yard, still alive and talking when Bibb County sheriff's deputies wheeled in at 820 Green Oak Terrace just before 11 a.m. Dec. 20.

Brown said he had "come to this location to purchase marijuana but was ambushed," a deputy wrote in an incident report obtained by The Telegraph on Wednesday.

Brown identified his killer as a man named "Xavier."

Christopher Boyd, the 30-year-old who called 911, told police he had heard what sounded like gunshots coming from next door at 814 Green Oak Terrace, where three teenagers were standing in the driveway.

Justin Lockett, a 17-year-old who lives there, Davin Hardnett, 18, and a 16-year-old not identified in the report, told police they caught Brown trying to burglarize the house, the report said.

Lockett said he got home and noticed his mother's bedroom light was on, which was "weird to him" because she usually locks her door every day before she leaves for work, according to the report.

Lockett told police he and his friends checked the bedroom and that Brown fired shots at them with a pistol while they walked toward the kitchen. Locket and his friends "immediately got on the ground and the shooter ran" toward the neighbor's house, the report said.

Brown had been caught "in the act" trying to burglarize the house, Lockett told police, according to the report.

Two 19-inch screen TVs were found in the back yard. Police also found a 9mm shall casing in the carport of the driveway and another in front of the refrigerator in the kitchen, the report said. A live 9mm round was found in the wall of the carport.

Police did not find a gun.

Lockett's 1992 Toyota Corolla was towed to the crime lab, the report said.

Capt. Randy Gonzalez told The Telegraph on Wednesday that the incident is still being investigated.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME, or call the sheriff's office at 751-7500.

Laura Corley 744-4334; @Lauraecor

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 4:29 PM.