Premont rallies to help family of slain graduate Librado Telles Jr.

Premont gathered around one of its own Sunday as neighbors, classmates, alumni and business owners raised money for the family of Librado Telles Jr., a 16-year-old recent Premont High School graduate whose death left the town grieving. The fundraiser at Rowdy’s was organized to help the family with funeral expenses and to ease some of the burden that followed the loss of a teenager many in town knew simply as LJ.

The day mixed practical help with remembrance. A burger combo sale drew customers in, while a car wash, raffle tickets, bake sale items and a dunking booth kept donations moving throughout the afternoon. The event worked because it gave people several ways to contribute, whether they came to eat, buy a ticket, wash a vehicle or simply drop off money for the family.

Those who knew Telles remembered a young man they described as humble, kind and always willing to help. Katrina Davila, who owns Rowdy’s, said he was a familiar face at the business and would come around after school with friends, often offering to help while the place was still being built. That memory gave the fundraiser a deeply local meaning: it was not just about responding to tragedy, but about supporting a teenager who had spent time in the same places now filled with people honoring him.

The gathering also reflected the tight bonds that define small-town life in Jim Wells County. Students and classmates came out alongside residents who had known Telles through school, work or daily routines around Premont. Some helped organize the activities. Others donated time, money or supplies. All of it pointed to the same goal, giving the family immediate help after a loss that arrived just days after a milestone moment in Telles’ life.

By the end of the day, the fundraiser had become more than a benefit. It was a visible sign of how Premont responds when one family is hurting, with neighbors turning memory into action and grief into support.