HAMPTON, Va. (AP) — A Hampton University basketball player has died from what police call an accidental shooting outside a nightclub.
Theo Smalling of Tampa, Fla., died Monday night, according to a university statement Tuesday.
Police said the 22-year-old team captain was shot in the abdomen early Saturday in the parking lot of a nightclub after another man mishandled a firearm.
Police have charged 21-year-old Dominique Devon Smith with reckless handling of a firearm. It is not known if Smith has an attorney. Police are awaiting autopsy results.
HU basketball coach Ed Joyner called Smalling's death a "devastating loss." Hampton President William R. Harvey described Smalling as a "model" student-athlete.
A tribute to Smalling was planned Tuesday night.
___
On the Web:
Hampton University Athletics: http://www.hamptonpirates.com/
