Two Utah Football Players Shot At A Late-Night Party – Suffer Serious Wounds But Miraculously Survive [Update]
Two University of Utah football players were grievously injured when they were shot at a late-night party. Though they suffered gunshot wounds, the football players’ condition is confirmed to be stable for now.
Two college football players, freshman running back Marcel Brooks-Brown and sophomore tight end Lo Falemaka, suffered gunshot wounds yesterday, confirmed Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham. They were hit by a trio of unknown assailants. The two players were hit in the abdomen region and were subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital.
Statement from Utah on 2 players being shooting victims. Both apparently will be OK. pic.twitter.com/yPWpLkXHI1
— Ted Miller (@TedMillerRK) September 13, 2015
Their conditions were initially listed as “serious,” but they managed to miraculously survive the attack and have now been said to be in a stable condition and expected to recover, reported the Salt Lake Tribune. Speaking about the incident, Whittingham said,
“Obviously, our first concern is that both Lo and Marcel are going to be OK, which appears to be the case. We don’t have all of the details yet, but it is our understanding that they are the victims in this incident and we feel very fortunate that they are expected to fully recover. It is unknown at this time how soon they will be able to return to the football field, but we are optimistic it will be in the near future.”
Incidentally, this is the second time Lo Falemaka has been involved in such a deadly attack, reported Bleacher Report. When Falemaka was in Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City in 2010, he was a victim of a vicious attack. Four men ganged up on Falemaka and physically assaulted him, resulting in deep facial injuries and possibly a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). Fortunately, the football player recovered from the attack and went on to join the University of Utah football team.
It is nothing short of a miracle that the Utah football players survived this attack. The police are on the lookout for three male suspects who attacked the duo a little before midnight at an area home. The police say the trio entered the premises uninvited and refused to leave despite being requested, thereby resulting in a confrontation.
Falemaka and Brooks-Brown were allegedly the ones who confronted the gatecrashers, subsequent to which a fight began, and one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and opened fire. Though investigation is still ongoing, it is believed that the Utah football players didn’t possess any weapons and were completely unarmed.
[Update] Coach Kyle Whittingham has confirmed that both the players are responding well to treatment and should be out of the hospital in a few days.
[Image Credit | Steve Dykes / Getty Images]
