Teenage Musician Killed In Austin Bombings Admitted Into Prestigious Conservatory

Draylen Mason died without knowing he had accomplished one of the biggest goals of his life.

The 17-year-old bass player was killed two weeks ago by a package bomb left outside his Austin home.

At the time of his death, he was waiting to see if he had been admitted into the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Turns out he did make it: Mason was one of 130 students admitted into the school this fall out of 1,500 applicants, according to CNN.

Mason would have found out about the admission on Friday, according to Oberlin admissions director Michael Manderen.

“It is tragic that he could very well have been one of those select incoming students,” Manderen said. “This is so sad, and our hearts go out to the family and community.”

Mason, an aspiring neurosurgeon and black belt martial artist, was killed March 12 when the bomb exploded in his East Austin home, according to USA Today.

Mason had been preparing for a morning workout with his mother when it happened. Mason’s mom used a knife to open a package that had been left on their doorstep. Mason “kind of shielded her and it killed him instantly,” his cousin Mark Glover told The New York Times.

His mother, whose name has not been released, was also injured in the blast and hospitalized.

The bombing was one of a series that happened in the Austin area this month, killing two people and injuring five. The suspected bomber, Mark Anthony Conditt, died last Wednesday after a device exploded in his car during a confrontation with police.

Mason’s funeral will be held Saturday at Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church. Meanwhile, Manderen said the conservatory has been in communication with Mason’s bass teacher and that the school plans to hold a memorial event for him sometime in the future.