Allen High School cheerleader shot dead in Lewisville shopping plaza

LEWISVILLE, Texas - Lewisville police need help tracking down the person who shot and killed a 16-year-old cheerleader from McKinney.

School may be out for summer, but that didn't stop A'mya Batie's classmates from gathering at Allen high school to talk about her death.

Her friends and Lewisville police detectives are desperate for answers.

Batie was shot to death Thursday night in the parking lot of a Lewisville shopping center. Investigators say a man who was with her, believed to be between 18 and 25 years old, is in critical condition, and a third victim has minor injuries.

Batie was an Allen High School varsity cheerleader who would have been a senior this coming year. Her friends described her as the glue who held the cheer squad together

She was shot to death in the parking lot of a Lewisville shopping plaza. The medical examiner says she died of homicidal violence after a gunshot in the chest.

Batie's best friend says the 16-year-old talked about possibly going to a house party in Lewisville Thursday night. Hours later, she woke up to the news that A’mya was dead.

"She wasn't saying that she was going, but she just kind of sent it like, 'Hey, this is an option for tonight,'" said Lauren Bradfield, A’mya’s best friend.

Lewisville police say a motive is unclear and have not said how or why they believe A’mya ended up in the parking lot of the shopping plaza. Her friends are sad and angry.

“She was just a special person,” Bradfield said. “And for her to be gone for gun violence to be the reason, I think that needs to be part of the conversation and not just the fact that she was a cheerleader who was maybe in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Police say there were a lot of people in the area at the time of the shooting and believes someone knows what happened.

“A lot of people were in the area at the time of the shooting, and we believe someone knows who is responsible for this act. Any information you might have could help bring justice to this teenage victim and her family. We ask that you join us in offering support and sympathy to the victims and their families,” the Lewisville Police Department said.

“A'mya deserves justice. She didn’t deserve this. We're all at a loss for words,” said Tori West, JV cheer coach at Allen High School.

Batie's coaches and fellow cheerleaders gathered at Allen High School Friday to mourn the murder of the 16-year-old rising senior.

“I told them, and of course they were all upset. We spent a little time together, said a prayer, and let them kind of talk about her,” said Cindy Gambill, varsity cheer coach at Allen High School.

“It’s crazy because we were all at cheer camp a month ago with her, and that never crossed my mind that would be the last time that I saw her,” cheer teammate Molly Ryan said.

Bradfield has a message for the person responsible for her best friend's murder.

“Your conscious is going to be the one to tell you if this is wrong or right, and this is definitely wrong,” she said. “And if you know something to help someone get peace, especially her mom and little brother, who is four, you should be the one to say, ‘Hey, I was there. This is what happened. This is what I know.’ Regardless of the consequence.”

Word of the deadly shooting spread across social media.

Police say there were a lot of people who were in the area at the time of the shooting.

“What we need is for you to stop talking about it on social media and bring us that information. We need to find whoever killed this 16-year-old girl, and we can’t do that without your help," Lewisville PD spokeswoman Lynn O'Donnell said.

Investigators continue to speak to witnesses and gather evidence. Police said it’s not yet clear what led up to the shooting. They have interviewed a few witnesses but still have no motive or clear description of the suspect.

"If you saw anything, if you heard anything. If you were in the area between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., please contact us," O'Donnell added.

Detectives are also searching for surveillance video that may offer them some insight into exactly what happened.

A third person had minor injuries. Anyone with information is urged to call the Lewisville Police Department at 972-219-TIPS.