Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones pledged action on student safety after two teenagers were killed near Houston-area high schools in the same week.

Briones, whose precinct covers the Spring area, issued a statement Friday, Sept. 25, calling the deaths unacceptable and saying she grieves with the victims' families as a mother and former teacher. She said she is committed to working with law enforcement partners and educational leaders to keep Harris County students safe in and around their schools.

The statement came the same day 17-year-old LePaul Warren, a Westbury High School senior in Houston ISD, was fatally shot near his campus. On Sept. 22, 15-year-old Royce Witchet was shot and killed on a sidewalk near Westfield High School in Spring, as we reported Sept. 27. The Westfield shooting is in Briones' precinct. The Westbury shooting is not, but Briones addressed both as a countywide concern.

Briones named no specific proposals. No funding commitments, policy details, or Commissioners Court agenda items related to school safety had been posted as of Monday, Sept. 28.

A 14-year-old Spring ISD student was charged with murder in Witchet's death. A judge found probable cause to detain the suspect at a hearing Thursday, Sept. 24, according to KHOU. Houston police charged 17-year-old Travoris Jarrell Hines with murder in Warren's death, KPRC reported. Hines' first court appearance was scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28.

At a memorial near Westfield High School on Sept. 25, Witchet's family called for stronger security around the school. Witchet's grandfather said the focus should shift from asking why these shootings happen to acting on them. "The question that needs to be asked is, when are we going to do something about it," he said, according to ABC13.

Spring ISD said counselors and additional law enforcement would remain on campus the week of Sept. 28. The Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Precinct 4 Constable's Office both responded to the Westfield shooting scene, and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said his office had been in contact with Spring ISD Superintendent Kregg Cuellar, according to Houston Public Media.

The violence fits a broader pattern. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department received 2,474 referrals last year for juveniles accused of firearms crimes, a 45% increase over five years, ABC13 reported. Juvenile homicide referrals rose 65% in the same period.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire, speaking at a news conference Sept. 25 after the Westbury shooting, referenced the Westfield killing earlier that week. Briones' statement was the first formal response from a Harris County commissioner whose precinct includes Spring.