Hillsboro Student Killed Protecting Family In Home Invasion

NASHVILLE, TN -- A 17-year-old Hillsboro High School student died overnight after he was shot trying to protect his family during a home invasion near William Edmondson Park west of downtown.

Metro Police said Ja'Donte Thompson was shot as he struggled with one of the two men who broke into his family's home on Capitol Point late Tuesday. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died.

Ja'Donte, along with his grandfather, step-father and mother, was asleep inside the home when two men kicked down the back door and began screaming "where is it at?", according to witnesses. Police believe the suspects thought the home was a drug house, but they were mistaken. Detectives said there were no drugs, guns or cash inside the house.

Investigators say the gunman who shot Ja'Donte also pistol-whipped the step-father.

Metro Nashville Public Schools confirmed Ja'Donte was a Hillsboro student and said the district will send grief counselors to the school Wednesday.

"The district is providing grief counselors and has implemented the student death response protocol to support the students and faculty of Hillsboro High School," the district said in a statement. "Our thoughts go out to the community and we will support them through this process."

In the end, the attackers did not steal anything and they fled before police arrived, though detectives are hoping nearby surveillance cameras will help in an identification.

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