Police investigating shooting death of 13-year-old Nizzear Rodriguez

Carroll County police are investigating the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy.

Detectives say the teen was shot in his bedroom oveight while he slept inside his home off Chancery Lane and it was not an accident and they are working it as a murder investigation.

Neighbors say Nizzear Rodriguez was at Applebees Saturday night with his grandmother celebrating his 13th birthday. Neighbors say it was the same grandmother who discovered his body Sunday afteoon.

”Trying to go wake him up and they saw a pool of blood coming from his head. That’s how they found him, said neighbor Jordan Seymour.

Carrollton homicide detectives said the 911 call went out at 12:16 p.m. Sunday. When police arrived the family had the boy in a car trying to rush him to the hospital, but it was too late.

Seymour said rumors are flying around the neighborhood about who could have killed the boy.

”They went in his bedroom and shot him, said Seymour.

Police have not named any suspects. Detectives say they are interviewing witnesses and following up on several leads.

Neighbors say they cannot think of one possible motive.

”Off the record, on the record, Nizzear (was) a lovable person, said neighbor Andrew Ealy.

Rodriguez was in eighth grade at Carrollton Junior High School. Neighbors described the teen as someone who loved to play basketball, helped out in the neighborhood cutting lawns, was respectful to his elders and played ball at a local church.

”It’s hurtful for anyone, but you know the type of kid that lives a life like that, to get gunned down in cold blood, it's awful, said Ealy.