Rio Linda Native Among University Of Utah Football Players Shot At Party
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Two University of Utah football players, including a Sacramento-area native, were shot and wounded at a party, their coach said Sunday.
Sophomore Lo Falemaka and freshman Marcel Brooks-Brown were expected to recover, Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement.
"Obviously, our first concern is that both Lo and Marcel are going to be OK, which appears to be the case," Whittingham said.
According to Salt Lake City police, 20-year-old Falemaka and 18-year-old Brooks-Brown were shot in the torso and were hospitalized in stable condition.
Whittingham said it's unclear when either player would be back on the field but he is optimistic it will be in the near future.
Police spokeswoman Robin Heiden says the two victims got into an altercation late Saturday night with three men who refused to leave a private party.
Heiden says one of the suspects allegedly pulled out a gun and shot them both. The three suspects then fled the scene.
They are described as being in their 20s. One is black, 6 feet tall and was wearing a baseball cap with a red bandanna underneath and a red T-shirt. The second suspect was black, 5-foot-9 with short dreadlocks. He was also wearing a baseball cap and a red T-shirt. Third suspect was white, heavy set and had facial hair, police said.
Falemaka, who grew up in West Valley City, Utah, started as a walk-on in 2013. He is on scholarship. The tight end has appeared in two games this season on special teams.
Brooks-Brown, of Rio Linda, California, is in his first season and was expecting to redshirt.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.