By AFRO Staff
Hampton basketball captain Theo Smalling was accidentally shot to death, according to Virginia police. (Courtesy Photo/hamptonpirates.com)
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(October 28, 2009) - Hampton University basketball star Theo Smalling died Oct. 26 from what police call an accidental shooting outside a nightclub, The Associated Press reported.
According to the Virginia-Pilot, the 22-year-old native of Tampa, Fla., was shot in the abdomen after another man mishandled a firearm. The shooting occurred in the parking lot of Fusions Nightclub at the 2000 block of W. Mercury Boulevard at about 12:15 a.m. on Oct. 24. Smalling died at 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 26, according to a statement posted on Hampton University’s athletics Web site.
“This is a devastating loss for our community,” Hampton head coach Edward Buck Joyner said in a statement. “He was a great young man who was an asset to Hampton University on and off the court. Not only was he the captain and leader of our team, but the backbone of our team. He will be with us in our hearts and minds when we step on the court.”
The Virginia-Pilot reported Virginia police are charging Dominique Devon Smith, 21, with one count of reckless handling of a firearm.
Smalling, the senior team captain for the Pirates, played in 91 games with 76 career starts. He was a sports management major and was scheduled to graduate this spring, according to a Hampton University statement.
Hampton will host a public memorial service for Smalling at noon on Oct. 29 in its Convocation Center, according to hamptonpirates.com.
“Theo was the model for the term student athlete,” Hampton University President William R. Harvey said in a statement posted on the school’s Web site. “He was a terrific student and an all-star athlete. In addition, he was actively involved in a great deal of community service. I and the Hampton University family will truly miss him.”
Smalling is the second college athlete that has died this month. Only weeks ago University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard was stabbed during a fight at the UConn Student Union dance just after 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, ESPN reported. Police has not named a suspect as of yet.
Howard, who was an expecting father, had just recorded a career-high 11 tackles in UConn’s 38-25 victory against Louisville on Oct. 17.
“The Howard family will get through this, as well as the UConn family,” UConn head coach Randy Edsall said, as stated on ESPN.com. “Because we are determined and we are willing to make sure that Jazz will be honored in the right way, and how we do things is what he'll be expecting out of all of us.”