Another tragedy has hit the UCLA basketball family after Billy Knight, was found dead in Phoenix on a roadway, a week after another former player committed suicide, reports ESPN.
Knight, 39, was found on a roadway at 2:45 a.m on Sunday and was pronounced dead a short time later by Phoenix firefighters. According to reports, the death didn’t raise any suspicion of foul play and the cause of death will be later determined by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.
Knight’s Last YouTube Post
Knight posted a six-minute video hours before his death and titled it “I am Sorry Lord.”
He begins by saying “This is probably my last message on Earth. Later in the video he says “I just feel like I don’t belong here on Earth. So my time is up.”
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“Our hearts are heavy after learning Billy Knight has passed away. We ask that the Bruin family keep Billy’s loved ones in their thoughts during this difficult time,” tweeted the UCLA men’s basketball program.
Former Phoenix Suns head coach and UCLA teammate Earl Watson posted a video clip on Instagram of him and Knight laughing in a car.
He wrote in the caption: “The world didn’t understand your literal rhetoric, and some took advantage of that. … I love you more than words can ever define! Forever my brother!”
Knight played for the Bruins from 1997 to 2002. He hailed from Los Angeles.
The former UCLA Bruin’s death took his former teammates and coaches by surprise, especially just days after it was reported that former Bruin and former Sacramento Kings basketball player Tyler Honeycutt shot and killed himself during a standoff with police over the weekend.
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Tyler Honeycutt’s Death
This has been a tough week for UCLA has news flooded in about two former teammates.
Friday night, the Los Angeles police responded to a call about an erratically-behaving man in his 20s who was barricaded in his home. Police said Honeycutt was waving a gun at officers as they approached. According to reports, crisis negotiators were called in to the area of Riverside Drive and Tyrone Avenue to talk Honeycutt down.
“We can confirm that during the initial encounter the suspect fired a shot out of the residence and officers returned fire. No officers were injured and it’s unknown if the suspect was struck,” said the Los Angeles Police Department at the time.
A SWAT team swarmed in to a home to find Honeycutt unresponsive. On Saturday, a family member confirmed to KABC that Honeycutt had died.
The LAPD updated their report to say the bullets fired by their officers were not to blame:
“Regarding last night’s Officer-Involved Shooting in Van Nuys Division, it appears as if the suspect was not struck by any officer’s gunfire. The suspect appears to have sustained injuries consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
“Investigations from our Force Investigation Division are at scene conducting a thorough investigation and we will provide more details as they become available,” the LAPD added.
For confidential help and resources, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255