Hampton University basketball player in critical condition after shooting
HAMPTON, Va. - Senior Hampton University basketball captain and forward Theo Smalling was injured early Saturday morning in what a Hampton University (HU) Spokesperson called a senseless accident...
HAMPTON, Va. – Senior Hampton University basketball captain and forward Theo Smalling was injured early Saturday morning in what a Hampton University (HU) Spokesperson called a “senseless accident.”
Yuri Milligan, Director of University Relations, did not offer details of the circumstance in which Smalling was injured.
Hampton (City) Police Spokesperson Cpl. Paula Ensley said around 12:15 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to a call for a shooting victim in the 2000 block of W. Mercury Boulevard. Ensley said Domonique Smith, who was with Smalling, shot him accidentally in the parking lot of Fusions Night Club and the two tried to find a hospital before calling for help from the BJ’s parking lot on Power Plant Pkwy.
Smtih is charged with one count of Reckless Handling of a Firearm.
Police did not name the victim in the shooting, because policy prohibits police from identifying surviving victims of shootings. Ensley would only say the victim was a 22-year-old Hampton man and is in critical condition. According to HU’s website, Smalling celebrated his 22nd birthday the day before the shooting.
“That’s just sad,” freshman Kingsly Madu said.”He was a real big part of this campus; hopefully people learn and look to him as an example of how to be a Hampton man.” Madu said word of the shooting went viral throughout the social networking site Facebook. “It was as bad as if I had heard it from a family member,” Madu said.
Another student, Philip Faxio, said he had classes with Smalling in the past. “He was a better basketball player than me,’ he said, “when we went to class together, he always kept it cool.” When asked how college students deal with this kind of tragedy, Faxio responded, “It’s life, campus doesn’t exclude you from reality; you just have to be careful I guess.”
Several students could be seen walking to classes with somber looks and heavy heads. A few who said they knew Smalling said they were too upset to talk publicly.
Smalling’s Coach Ed Joyner shared his thoughts on the case in a statement released by Milligan, saying Theo “is a wonderful young man and the leader of his team. Please continue to pray for him, his family and the team. He is a strong young man and fighting for his life. It is unfortunate that this has happened to such a great young man.”
“Theo Smalling is the epitome of a student athlete who leads by example,” Athletic Director Lonza Hardy Jr. added. “Everyone who knows him knows about his compassion for life, his love of the game of basketball and his loyalty and devotion to Hampton University.”
Hampton University’s Web site lists Smalling as a senior majoring in sports management, who plays forward and wears #12 for the Pirates.
