Robbers tried to force a VCU art student and his female friend into the trunk of her car at Byrd Park, then shot him once in the back as they tried to run away, according to a law-enforcement source familiar with the case.

Tyler J. Binsted, a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University described as talented, smart and insatiably curious, died at the scene of the shooting yesterday morning. His friend kept running and got away.

The robbers took off in the woman's car, which was torched and abandoned near the home of a teenager police later arrested, another law-enforcement source said.

The 17-year-old suspect, Howard Reed Scott III of Silver Avenue in South Richmond, is charged with murder and two counts each of robbery and use of a firearm in a felony.

Police were seeking a second suspect, described as a black male age 13 to 15 and between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall. Police believe he was wearing all dark clothes and frequents the Bellemeade area off Jefferson Davis Highway. He possibly uses "Pete" for a nickname.

According to a statement from VCU President Eugene P. Trani, two robbers approached Binsted and his friend about 1 a.m. while they were walking in the park and stole their car keys.

Binsted, 19, was an honors sculpture student from Mount Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley.

Jack Risley, director of VCU's Art Foundation, said he wasn't surprised to hear that Binsted, who had an adventurous streak, would go for a walk in a park after midnight.

"There was kind of a romantic in him, so what could be better than to go for a walk with a friend on a beautiful evening?" Risley said.

Students, faculty and Binsted's family were appalled by the senselessness of his death.

"He was a great boy, a great grandson. I loved him," said grandmother Lorene Binsted. "It's just really, really hard."

The victim's twin brother goes to James Madison University and is visiting Spain, Lorene Binsted said.

"I can't imagine what his parents are going through," said Amy Hauft, chairwoman of VCU's Department of Sculpture and Extended Media. "But the bigger thing is the unbelievable waste -- he was such a contributor to us and to the community."

"He was super-capable and sweet," Hauft said. "He was smart and funny . . . all the things you don't want to lose."

Risley said Binsted was one of two freshman art students selected last year to attend a prestigious competition in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar.

Risley recalled that Binsted would ask him about favorite movies and seek his opinion on various musical artists.

"He just had an incredible appetite for new information and really took it in," Risley said.

For some VCU students, the killing was a reminder that Richmond can be dangerous and crime can seem random.

"I don't usually feel scared here at all," said Theresa Marchetta, a graduate art student from Princeton, N.J. "There's no predicting it. And that's what's scary."

Anyone with information on the killing is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or rwilliams@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Michael Martz at (804) 649-6964 or mmartz@timesdispatch.com.

Staff writer Jim Nolan contributed to this report.