DURHAM, N.C. — A boy shot and killed Wednesday afternoon was a student at a high school close to where the deady incident unfolded, and a Durham schools superintendent released a statement Thursday, mourning the student's death and urging action to combat gun violence. 

"His family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers — but we need more than thoughts and prayers," Pascal Mubenga stated. "Our students are clamoring for an end to gun violence and our community must come together to deliver it." 

The teen was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon on a walking trail in Durham, police said, and another boy also was shot and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, according to police.

The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. near the 1200 block of Riddle Road and the American Tobacco Trail, a walking pathway that stretches from Durham to the Cary area. 

Both boys were transported to a hospital, where one was pronounced dead, police said Wednesday evening. 

Authorities closed off a part of Riddle Road as they investigated, and nearby schools — Hillside High School, W.G. Pearson Magnet Elementary School and Mount Zion Christian Academy — took security precautions, restricting entry or exit while officers investigated.

The slain boy was a student at Hillside High, according to Durham Public Schools.

Hillside High again increased security, preventing entry or exit from the building, on Thursday afternoon as police investigated a report of weapons in woods near the school. The school security status had been lifted by about 2:10 p.m.

Police asked anyone with information on Wednesday's shooting to call Investigator I.I. Harton at 919-560-4440, ext. 29332, or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.