Flirting Kills?

I just heard about the murder of Larry King, the out 8th-grader who wasn't afraid to be himself, from a commercial that I saw on MTV. Then, I found this article about it. Here's how it opened:

Larry King was a gay eighth-grader who used to come to school in makeup, high heels and earrings. And when the other boys made fun of him, he would boldly tease them right back by flirting with them.

That may have been what got him killed.

Really? Some bold flirting is what got him killed? Because I thought he got shot twice in the head by a homophobe. Maybe it's the lack of tolerance and downright hate of gay people that got him killed. But I could be wrong.