Homecoming To Tragedy: Towson Player Recovering After Shooting

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Saturday was supposed to be a homecoming for Towson senior John Davis, but a night full of celebrations, nearly turned deadly as he was caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting.

Davis continues his recovery Monday night after being injured by gunfire in Philadelphia.

In the streets of south Philadelphia, the name "John Davis" is one that's known by many.

"Yep, he's a star basketball player," says Joshua Brunson, who lived near where the shooting happened.

A senior at Towson University and a Philly native, Davis found himself back home in the City of Brotherly Love Saturday as Towson took on Drexel.

"I actually took a picture with him and his son after the game, and he said, 'I'll see you tomorrow,' because he was supposed to come to our game," says Carl Arrigale, head basketball coach at Saints John Neumann Goretti Catholic High School.

Arrigale coached Davis in high school and went to his game against Drexel on Saturday.

Just hours after the senior dropped 14 points in a win for the Tigers, reports of a drive-by shooting began to surface.

Police say it happened along the 900 block of South 4th St., and that Davis and a 16-year-old boy were both injured by gunfire.

Joshua Brunson heard the shots ring out.

"It was like six or seven gunshots. Pow, pow, pow, and then we heard nothing," says Brunson.

Davis was hit in the knee by bullet fragments and was immediately rushed to a hospital. So far, police say no arrests have been made.

"Apparently someone fired shots into the crowd," said Arrigale.

Arrigale was one of the first people to talk to him after the shooting, and said Davis had just returned home from getting something to eat with friends before the shooting.

"I heard his voice. He sounded great and he said he was just in the wrong place [at the] wrong time," says Arrigale.

"This neighborhood needs to change a bit, and the violence, it has to stop," said Brunson. "We need to take a stand."

While Davis is expected to make a full recovery, the remainder of his basketball season is in doubt.

"I find it hard to believe that anyone had it out for John," said Arrigale. "He's too good of a guy who is loved by everyone. He's too nice of a guy. I'm just thankful it wasn't fatal."

As of Monday afternoon, those who spoke to Davis say he was still at the hospital finishing up with some procedures. He's expected to return to Towson shortly after.

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