Baylor defensive lineman Alex Foster died early Wednesday after he was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a car in his Mississippi hometown, the Washington County coroner’s office confirmed to The Associated Press. He was 18.
The shooting was part of a “surge in violent crimes” that Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons said in an address threatened the community. Simmons said the city issued a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to curb the violence, which has included multiple shootings and “senseless killings.”
The Mississippi Clarion Ledger first reported Foster as being the victim of a shooting in Greenville after Baylor announced without a cause that Foster had died.
Greenville Police spokeswoman Major Misty Mew told the AP — without disclosing the name of the victim — that officers were called to reports of a shooting in a residential/commercial area of the city shortly after midnight. Police discovered a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a car.
He was taken to a hospital and died about 30 to 40 minutes later, Mew said. No arrests have been made and police are seeking information connected with the shooting.
“We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of Alex Foster, a beloved member of our football family,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda and athletic director Mack Rhoades said in a joint statement. “Our immediate focus is on supporting Alex’s family and his teammates through this devastating loss. Alex’s memory will forever be part of our hearts and this program.”
Foster took part in spring practices and was entering his freshman season after redshirting last year.
Aranda posted a separate message in referring to Foster making a “long-lasting impact on all of us,” and adding, “Our hearts are broken, and our prayers are with his family, friends and all those who loved him so deeply.”
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds, Foster was rated by 247Sports as being among Mississippi’s top-20 prospects and 69th defensive lineman in the nation coming out of St. Joseph High School in Madison.
Simmons said all nightclubs and late-night establishments in the city must cease operations at midnight as part of the curfew, with a special emphasis being placed on “juvenile safety and parental accountability.”
“It’s to protect the lives and well-beings of every Greenville resident in light of this growing crisis. … we cannot stand by and let violence rip through our neighborhoods. Enough is enough,” he said.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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