VALDOSTA —
Former Lowndes High School football standout Edward Christian was one of three people fatally shot and killed late Saturday night at the University Heights Apartment Complex in Auburn, Ala., Auburn Police confirmed Sunday afternoon.
Christian, 20, was a former football player at Auburn University, and was still living in the town working his way toward a college degree. His father, ‘Big’ Edward Christian, is a law enforcement officer with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
“Coach Randy McPherson was contacted by Auburn football coach Gene Chizik early this morning regarding the death of Ed Christian,” said the official Lowndes County School System release Sunday afternoon. “Ed was a fine young man who made the Lowndes County School System proud. He was unfortunately the victim of a random shooting at a pool party in which six innocent people were hit by gunfire. We are saddened by the news of his death and share in the grief of his family. As a school system, we are grateful for the contributions Ed made to us and to our community.”
Christian was a member of the 2007 state championship football team at Lowndes. He helped make up the offensive line known as the “Mayflower Movers.” His last season with the Vikings was 2008.
Following the ‘08 season, he accepted a scholarship to play football at Auburn University, where he was plagued by a back injury that cut his career short.
Former Auburn player Ladarious Phillips, 20, and Auburn student Demario Pitts, 20, were also killed Saturday night. Three other individuals were shot, including current Auburn player Eric Mack, who remains in the hospital but is expected to make a full recovery.
“I appreciate all the love and prayers for me and two lost homies. May God be with their families,” wrote Mack on his Twitter account Saturday night.
News of Christian’s death began to break on the social media website Twitter early Sunday morning, some 10 hours before the death was confirmed by Auburn Police.
Thousands have tweeted about the loss to the community, including former teammates and classmates of Christian’s at Lowndes High School. National celebrities have also tweeted their condolences regarding the Auburn shootings.
Local, state and federal authorities are actively looking for the shooter, who was said to be 22-year old Desmonte Leonard of Montgomery, Ala. A warrant for three counts of capital murder have been signed and issued for Leonard, according to Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson.
A witness who spoke to reporters Sunday morning said he was at a pool party with one of his friends when they were approached by two other men who started arguing with them over a woman.
Turquorius Vines, 23, said he punched one of the men, while his friend hit both of the men over the head with a bottle. Either one or both of the two men then started shooting, he said. He said his friend was shot and killed, while two others also were hit by gunfire. Vines said he had never before seen the men who he had been arguing with.
“It’s like I lost a lung,” Vines said of his friend. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive this.”
According to others, Christian was shot and killed attempting to break up the fight.
Several emergency vehicles had converged overnight around the University Heights apartment complex where reports indicated a number of students who attend Auburn University typically reside. The building was swathed in yellow police tape.
It appeared the shooting happened in an archway near the apartment complex information center, near the edge of the parking lot. Early Sunday, five uniformed officers guarded the area, which was sealed off with crime-scene tape, and a handful of crime scene investigators were at work.
After daybreak, several uniformed officers stood near a disaster relief trailer parked at the building’s entrance, which appeared to be a sort of command center. Some bystanders milled about, looking on at the scene.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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