14-year old Georgia boy shot to death in apparent home robbery

Paul Sampleton, Jr., age 14

14-year old Paul Sampleton, Jr., was found shot to death in his home in Grayson, Georgia.  The home appeared to have been robbed.  It's unknown whether Paul interrupted the robbery or not.

No suspects have yet been identified.

From an article:

Police are investigating the death of a teenager in Grayson. According to Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Jake Smith, 14-year-old Paul Sampleton Jr. was found dead of a gunshot wound in his home on Haynescrest Drive on Wednesday. 

The boy's father arrived home and found his son shot to death around 2:40 p.m., according to police. 

Authorities are treating the death as a homicide. Smith said that there was evidence of a robbery inside the apartment. They don't know if the teen had interrupted the burglary or if they had waited for him inside. 

Police said they are investigating leads in the case. 

Sampleton was a freshman at Grayson High School, according to police. 

"He was just always smiling, kind-hearted and everybody loved him. Nobody had problems with him," said Darius Stephens, who said he played football with Sampleton.

UPDATE (12/20/12):  Paul's death has been ruled as a homicide, not suicide or accidental.  Friends expressed surprise at his death.  From an article:

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 Paul’s 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. 

“It’s just hard to believe it’s Paul,” Abiodun said. “He just loved coming to school, smiling and telling jokes, and making people laugh.”

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