BATON ROUGE — A 14-year-old was found shot dead in a ditch on Dayton Street near Interstate 110, Thursday afternoon.

Around 12:49 p.m., gunshots were reported in the area Thursday, officials said. The teenager's body was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was later identified as Travez Washington. A motive and suspect aren't known.

"It's always hard to tell who's involved in what, especially when it comes to these young juveniles or young people in general," Baton Rouge Police spokesperson Darren Ahmed said.

Washington lived in the area, but why he was on Dayton Street in the middle of a school day isn't known. Ahmed said people now are reluctant to draw attention to these types of situations.

“Unfortunately I believe we are in a different era. Twenty to 30 years ago, an adult would see a young man or lady in their teens walking, would inquire with local neighbors and parents about the child's whereabouts and why they're not in school," Ahmed said. "These days, probably for safety precautions, some people tend to mind their business and don't try to pass judgment or questions."

While most kids were starting school Thursday, neighbors said Washington didn't go to school. The East Baton Rouge School System said their records show that no one under that name was enrolled for the school year.

Ahmed said these days everyone should play their part in helping juveniles stay out of trouble.

"That's why we like to say it takes a village to raise a child, we tell parents stay involved in your children's lives, we tell mentors stay close to these kids [that are] in an adolescence area of their life, so yeah it's very saddening that it's teens getting involved in some of these crimes, especially in our city of Baton Rouge," Ahmed said. "We also need the parents to be held accountable for knowing where your child is 24/7."

Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (225)389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.