Bryce Dejean-Jones shoots against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half during a semifinal game of the 2015 Big 12 Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 13, 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo : Getty Images/ Ed Zurga)
NBA player in Dallas Bryce Dejean-Jones, 23, met his untimely death after he was shot when he entered a wrong Dallas apartment. The Rookie New Orleans Pelicans star died on May 28, Saturday,which was also his daughter's first birthday.
The basketball player died after a shot to his abdomen. He was found unconscious in the hallway and passed away at the hospital.
Police officers responded to the apartment nearly 3:20 a.m. after they received a call that someone was shot at the Camden Belmont apartments. Upon the investigation, they identified the man as Dejean-Jones.
"He went to the wrong apartment unfortunately and I think he thought his girlfriend locked him out, so he was knocking on the door, banging on the door, it's locked,'' ESPN quoted Dejean-Jones' agent, Scott Nichols, as saying. "So one thing led to another.''
Sources told the publication that Dejean-Jones had a fight with his girlfriend before he returned to the apartment alone after a celebration. It was the first time for Dejean-Jones to visit his girlfriend at the apartment to celebrate his daughter's first birthday.
Dejean-Jones reportedly kicked open and entered the front door of an apartment in the third floor when he returned to the building. The owner of the apartment called out, but noone responded. The resident immediately held his handgun and fired his shot through the door that killed Dejean-Jones.
The Pelicans organization and the NBA commissioner Adam Silver have sent their sympathy on the sudden death of Dejean-Jones. He signed with the Pelicans as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa State. Dejean-Jones played at three colleges, including USC, UNLV and Iowa State.
Dejean-Jones debut in the NBA in January. In February, he signed a two-year agreement with the Pelicans. He finished the rookie season with an average of 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14 games.
The investigation claimed that there was no lead that Dejean-Jones was armed or he knew the apartment resident who shot him, CBS News reported. This was exactly the reason why there was a speculation that Dejean-Jones' death was caused by his entry to a wrong apartment.
No charges have been filed to the apartment resident, who fired shot at Dejean-Jones. It is legal under the Texas law to use deadly force to defend themselves in case they have been attacked in their home.
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