A Hempstead family spent Thanksgiving mourning the loss of their teenage son, who was shot dead Wednesday evening.

Police say a masked gunman approached 18-year-old Ryan Harris and his friend, who asked to remain nameless, a few blocks away from another friend's house on Gladys Avenue. The friend says the man stood about 10 feet away and fired one shot into Harris' head, killing the recent Hempstead High School graduate at about 8:30 p.m.

According to friends and family, Harris was a positive-thinking person and an aspiring lawyer. Harris' family asks anyone with information to call Nassau Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.