A Howard University running back, who returned to his Texas home while on holiday break, was shot and killed along with an 18-year-old man after the two men and an accomplice reportedly attempted to rob an apartment.
According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, Howard running back Terrence Neal Tusan, 22; Jakobi Dmon Gipson, 18; and another man allegedly forced their way into a Denton, Texas, apartment Sunday. Although police did not say how the shooting began, it is believed that residents of the apartment opened fire on the young men, who were reportedly all wearing masks.
Gipson's body was found inside the apartment, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle, and Tusan's body was found outside near the apartment. A third suspect, who may have been injured in the shooting, remains at large.
Tusan's mother, Donna, told the newspaper that she and her son had watched the Dallas Cowboys beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and that after the game, he left to be with friends.
"He was very happy with his grades," she told the Record-Chronicle. "We were going to do some more Christmas shopping."
Clarence Nevels, a former coach, family friend and mentor to the Howard Bison running back, told the Record-Chronicle that Tusan was a "good kid."
"He had good grades and was just down at AT&T Stadium for Thanksgiving Day Madness Youth Football speaking to students about believing in themselves," Nevels said. He told the newspaper that the young man he had known for some 15 years didn't have a criminal history and wasn't associated with drugs.
According to ESPN, "Tusan, a junior for Howard, had 331 rushing yards with two touchdowns this season as a backup running back, including a 70-yard TD in a 38-25 loss to Rutgers."
Two guns were recovered at the scene, one belonging to one of the victims and another belonging to a suspect.
"You have to wonder, what would be the purpose to throw his life away?" Nevels told the Record-Chronicle.
Read more at the Denton Record-Chronicle and ESPN.