MANSFIELD, Mass. -- Mansfield police are searching for an assailant after a local teenager was found dead behind the wheel of his Jeep on Monday.

NewsCenter 5's Rhondella Richardson reported that Andrew Colwell, 18, was shot to death on Erik Road -- less than 1 mile from his home.

VIDEO: Students React To Teen's Slaying

Police investigated late into the night after the 7 p.m. shooting. Local teens said that they were shocked by the slaying.

"Mostly sadness, because everyone knows he's a wicked good kid," student Matt Connolly said.

Colwell was on the school's tennis team. He graduated from Mansfield High School and was on the school honor roll.

"It is still kind of kicking in. I woke up this morning, and I didn't think it was real," said Gisard Sarkis, of Mansfield.

"A big surprise," said Michael Sullivan, of Mansfield. "We've never had anything of this type of, you know, activity,"

Police said that the shooting was not random.

"It was right outside where I live at, and what alarmed me the most is the fact that it was in broad daylight. I mean, it was still daytime when it happened," Sullivan said.

Tennis balls were placed on the side of the high school building in memory of the slain student. Friends said that they are posting condolence message online.

"A lot of people wrote about him -- saying 'Rest in Peace.' If they have any information, they left numbers to call so that we can find who did it," Sarkis said.

Police said that they are interviewing a few of the victim's friends. The Mansfield police chief said that officials were working to identify a man seen near the scene of the shooting.