Shootings are always tragic incidents, especially when the victims happen to be young. In this case, a North Carolina college football player who was only 19-years-old died after someone shot him while waiting in a car.
Omari Alexander played for Lenoir-Rhyne University’s football team and according to police, was shot and killed early Saturday morning. FOX46 Charlotte broke the news, stating the incident occurred outside a Hickory apartment complex around 1 a.m. Reportedly, Alexander sat in the passenger seat of the car when someone fired a gun several times into the vehicle. When authorities arrived, Alexander was suffering several gunshot wounds, later passing away at the scene.
The school’s official Twitter account confirmed the news yesterday.
“Lenoir-Rhyne is grieving the loss of Omari Alexander, a 19-year-old sophomore from Concord, NC, and member of the football team, who was killed overnight in an off-campus incident in Hickory. Out of respect for his family, the university will have no further comment at this time,” the account tweeted.
Unfortunately, though police opened a homicide investigation, they haven’t named any suspects. Lenoir-Rhyne vice president of athletics, Kim Pate, issued a statement about Omari and the school remembering him. “Omari was a special young man who had a bright future. He will always be remembered fondly by his teammates and the LR community,” she said.
The school’s social media accounts say Alexander was a redshirt freshman. After losing in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs to Bowie State, he went back home. The roster states he played as a tight end.
After Accidentally Shooting and Killing a Texas Bow Hunter in Colorado, a Pennsylvania Hunter Faces Homicide Charges
A few months ago, there was another deadly shooting, but under very different circumstances. While hunting in Colorado, one hunter accidentally fatally shot another hunter.
FOX31 Denver stated rifle-hunter Ronald Morosko from Pennsylvania accidentally killed bow-hunter Gregory Gabrisch of Texas. Both hunters happened to be in Pennsylvania, where bow and muzzle season overlap. Interestingly, the men were not hunting together, suggesting a stray shot from Morosko resulted in Gabrisch passing away.
Seth O’Donovan, a member of the West Fork Volunteer Fire Department for Dolores County, spoke to the news outlet about the accident. “We didn’t know what to expect,” he said. He continued, saying all they knew was a shooting occurred.
Despite the bystanders reporting the shooting shortly after it occurred, O’Donovan stated it took 10 hours to find Gabrisch. “Our wilderness area is really expansive. When we found him, he had deceased.” Though fatal shootings among hunters aren’t very common, Jenn Vinson, another member of the West Fork Volunteer Fire Department, urged hunters in the area to be cautious.
Morosko now faces felony charges of criminally negligent homicide.