Father continues to fight for answers from HISD about his son's death

HOUSTON – A grieving Houston father's fight for answers about the sudden death of his son, who collapsed at Marshall Middle School this week, continued Friday.

Landon Payton, 14, collapsed in the school gymnasium on Wednesday and suffered several seizures while emergency responders and police attempted to resuscitate him. Landon was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Alexis Payton said he spent two hours with Houston ISD officials on Friday, but it was a waste of time because they didn't answer his questions about what happened before Landon's death. He said the district showed him police body camera footage, but it only showed the end of the incident.

“I was there at the end and saw my son die,” Alexis told us. “I just want closure. They don't even want to give me closure. We have to go through the legal process.”

He said Landon has never had any heart problems or a history of seizures and he had only been medically evaluated for football a few months ago.

“And that's what he wanted to do. He wanted to play football and be a gamer,” Alexis said. “He was quiet. He didn't bother anyone, he just kept to himself.”

He still can't believe his son, whom he dropped off at Marshall for his first day of school on Monday, was dead two days later. He said he won't give up demanding answers from HISD, no matter how long it takes.

“I was so exhausted, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat,” Alexis said. “It never stops. It just hurts. It hurts over and over again. I cry and cry.”

He said it broke his heart to have to tell Landon's older brothers that he was gone.

“It was heartbreaking, ma'am, tears and hugs, that's all we could do. That was her little brother.”

HISD Superintendent Mike Miles spoke briefly to the media about Landon's death Friday afternoon, but left without taking questions. Below is what Miles said, word for word.

“On Wednesday, Houston ISD suffered a tremendous loss. We are devastated by the death of Landon Payton, a student at Marshall Middle School. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family. They are our highest priority during this unimaginable time. We have been focused this week on gathering information for the family and that is our top priority.

Emotions are running high, and that's a good thing during this difficult time. We have also been focused on providing resources, counseling, and support to the students and staff at Marshall Middle School. I am grateful for the valiant efforts of the students, teachers, school nurse, HISD police officers, Houston EMS, and Houston Fire Department at Marshall Middle School. I understand that many want to better understand what happened on August 14th.

Right now, the district's top priority is communicating directly with Landon's family and respecting their privacy. What we can tell you now is that Landon had a medical emergency during physical education class. He received immediate medical attention from Marshall Middle School teachers, HISD police and medical personnel. He also received medical attention from EMS and was transported to the hospital by EMS team.

As a father myself, my heart breaks for Landon's family. The district administration and the Marshall Middle School team stand behind the family and will do everything we can to support them during this time of crisis. The health and safety of our precious students is my top priority and that of the HISD faculty and staff.

I know you have more questions. This is the only information I can give you at this time. Thank you.

RELATED TOPICS: HISD Superintendent Mike Miles issues brief statement on student death, does not answer questions