17-year-old Christopher Brown of Randallstown was killed Tuesday night during a fight with an off-duty police officer.

According to police, the officer chased the teen into some bushes after he noticed some damage to his front door. Brown fell unconscious during the struggle, and medical examiners later ruled asphyxiation as cause of death.

Bryan Leazer was Brown's best friend. He recalls having seen his best friend the night he died. Leazer is now learning the boy may have been going around the neighborhood ringing doorbells and throwing rocks at homes.

Both Leazer and others who knew Brown say he was not the kind of kid to get into trouble. He was a member of the ROTC, involved in church, and recently took up an interest in photography.

His family and friends are still trying to grapple with how a smart young man could end up dead, possibly because of a prank.