Premont mourns teen shot days after high school graduation
Premont’s graduation-week joy turned to grief after 16-year-old Librado Telles Jr., known as LJ, was shot at a Southwest 8th Street home.
Premont’s graduation-week celebration gave way to shock and sorrow after 16-year-old Librado Telles Jr., known to friends as LJ, was shot to death just days after earning his high school diploma.
Telles, a Premont High School graduate, was shot Sunday night, May 24, 2026, around 11:30 p.m. at a residence in the 600 block of Southwest 8th Street in Premont. Premont police said the case remains under active investigation, and no arrests or suspects have been announced. Police later described the death as an equivocal death, meaning the manner of death has not yet been determined.
Friends remembered Telles as energetic, athletic and full of personality, with a strong love for football. For a community as small as Premont, where the population is about 2,428, the loss has landed hard. Jim Wells County, home to about 38,886 residents, is large enough to stretch across many towns and neighborhoods, but moments like this tend to feel immediate and personal in a place where families know one another through school, church and youth sports.
Premont ISD confirmed that Telles was a student in the district and said counseling and family support services are being offered at the Premont Collegiate Library Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. United Connection Counseling will also be on site Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Alice Independent School District also sent condolences to the Premont ISD community as students and families on both sides of the county took in the news.
The district has deep roots in southern Jim Wells County and southeastern Duval County. Premont ISD was founded in 1921 and reported enrollment of about 747 students as of December 2024. Its 2026 graduation ceremony was held May 20, four days before the shooting, making the violence hit at a moment when classmates and families were still marking a milestone they had worked toward for years.
Anyone with information about the shooting has been asked to contact Premont police at 361-348-3231.
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