HOUSTON — A grieving Houston father's fight for answers about his son's sudden death after collapsing at Marshall Middle School this week continued on Friday.
Landon Payton, 14, collapsed in the school gym on Wednesday and had multiple seizures while EMS and police officers tried to revive him. Landon was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Alexis Payton said he spent two hours with Houston ISD leaders Friday but it was a waste of time because they wouldn't answer his questions about what happened leading up to 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, I saw my son die," Alexis told us. "All I want is closure. They don't even wanna give me closure. We gotta go through the courts."
On the video, Payton said he heard a school nurse admit they didn't know CPR.
"It's a nurse you have at the school who didn't know how to do CPR, did not know how to do CPR, did not know how to use the defibrillator," he said.
He told us that Landon never had any heart problems or history of seizures and he had just had a physical a couple of months ago for football.
"And that’s what he wanted to do. He wanted to play football and he wanted to be a gamer," Alexis said. "He was quiet. He didn’t bother nobody, just stay to his self."
He still can't believe the son he took to Marshall for his first day of school on Monday was dead two days later. He said he won't give up his push for answers from HISD no matter how long it takes.
"I’ve been tore up so much, not sleeping, not eating," Alexis said. "Never ends. It just hurts. It hurts and hurts. Crying and crying."
He said it broke his heart when he had to tell Landon's older brothers that he is gone.
"It was heartbreaking ma’am, tears and hugging, that’s all we could do. That was their baby brother."
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles spoke briefly about Landon's death to the media Friday afternoon but left without taking any questions. Below is word for word what Miles said.
"On Wednesday, Houston ISD experienced a tremendous loss. We're devastated by the death of Landon Payton, a Marshall Middle School student. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family. They are our utmost priority in this unimaginable time. We've been focused this week on gathering information for the family and have prioritized that above all else.
Emotions are running high and they should, at this trying time. We have also focused on providing resources and counseling to this, and support for the students and staff at Marshall Middle School. I'm thankful for the valiant efforts of Marshall Middle School students, teachers, school nurse, the HISD police officers, the Houston EMS, and the Houston Fire Department. I understand that many want to better understand what happened on August 14th.
Right now, the district's priority is communicating directly with Landon's family and respecting their privacy. What we can share with you now is that Landon experienced a medical emergency during a P.E. class. He received immediate medical assistance from the Marshall Middle School teachers, the HISD police and medical personnel. He also received medical assistance from EMS and was transferred to the hospital by the EMS team.
As a father myself, my heart is broken for Landon's family. The district administration and the Marshall Middle School team is committed to 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 the top priority of HISD educators and staff.
Again, I know you have more questions. This is the only information I can share at this time. Thank you.."