Josh Shaw’s Mysterious Injury May Be Tied to Domestic Violence

Josh Shaw’s heroic tale continues to unravel.

The LAPD is investigating whether USC senior cornerback Shaw was involved in a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend the night he injured both of his ankles last weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times. He originally claimed the injuries were inflicted when he jumped from a balcony on the second story to rescue his nephew from drowning in a pool. That turned out to be completely fabricated.

Last Saturday at 10:40 PM, a resident of the Orsini Apartments near USC called Los Angeles Police about a woman screaming. The police tracked it to an apartment on the third floor, but no one answered. They knocked the door down and found no one inside. However, they noticed a window had been pried open. Witnesses later told the police they saw a man with dreadlocks climbing from the apartment’s balcony.

Shaw’s girlfriend later returned where she was questioned by the LAPD. She said the description given by witnesses sounded like Josh, who lives in the same building. Nothing was reported stolen and no statement of domestic violence was given.

The suspicion of domestic violence may have come to key witnesses. A source told the Los Angeles Daily News that the couple had been fighting, and both left the apartment separately. Screams during this encountered led to a neighbor calling the police. The anonymous account, provided by someone in the apartment complex at the time, claims that Josh returned to the apartment soon before police arrived. When they forced their way into the apartment, he allegedly jumped off the balcony to avoid police, resulting in his high ankle sprains.

The LAPD has requested Shaw appear for additional questioning on whether the incident is tied to domestic violence. His attorney Donald Etra has declined this request and insists Josh simply fell off the balcony. Etra added Josh has already spoken to the LAPD twice about the incident and that there is no more information to give. Etra has also emphatically stated that this is not a domestic disturbance or domestic violence case.

Shaw is currently suspended from USC’s football team indefinitely after he admitted to lying about his injuries. USC had trumpeted the heroic story all over social media, and it went viral. According to Newsweek, he even went so far as to convince some friends and family to back up his story. Rumors started to chip away his story, until he publicly admitted the story was a lie.