North Carolina Central U. football player shot, killed

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina Central University football player was shot to death at an off-campus apartment late Monday night, school officials confirmed.

Durham police responded to calls of a gunshot wound at a complex about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from campus after 9:30 p.m., where officers found a man dead at the scene, the agency said in a statement obtained by news outlets.

The victim was identified as first-year student Trevor VanDyke, according to a statement from University Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye. The defensive back had started at North Carolina Central in August and was a graduate of Clayton High School, the school said.

 
“Our community has been shaken by the sudden and tragic death of one of our first-year students," the statement said. “The young Eagle's untimely passing is difficult for all of us.”

Durham police have not commented on the circumstances leading to the shooting or said whether they have identified any suspects. Investigators were focusing on a car that appeared to have crashed near the scene early Tuesday, news outlets reported.

School officials said grief counseling would be available for the campus community and a campus vigil would be planned.