Baylor University has paid tribute to one of its football players, Alex Foster, 18, after he was gunned down during an incident in Greenville, Mississippi on Wednesday.
Per TMZ, several prominent schools showed interest in enrolling Foster, who was a 6-foot-5, 292-pound pass rusher, after he had a stellar football career at Mississippi’s St. Joseph High School. Those schools included Arkansas, Georgia Tech, and Kentucky, but he opted for Baylor in February 2024.
“We are heartbroken by the unexpected passing of Alex Foster, a beloved teammate, friend, and a cherished part of the Baylor family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Alex’s family and all those who loved him,” head football coach Dave Aranda and athletic director Mack Rhoades said in a joint statement.
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“In this time of deep sorrow, we draw strength from our faith and the unwavering love of the Baylor community. Our immediate focus is on supporting Alex’s family and his teammates through this devastating loss. Alex’s memory will forever be part of Baylor University.”
Greenville Police spokeswoman Major Misty Mew told the AP that officers were informed of a shooting in a residential/commercial area of the city not too long after midnight. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a car, Mew said. Foster was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries about 30 to 40 minutes later.
Foster was a highly-regarded football prospect. 247Sports rated him as being one of Mississippi’s top-20 prospects and 69th defensive lineman in the nation coming out of St. Joseph High School.
His death comes after Florida authorities charged a former student-athlete with fatally shooting a college football star who was visiting home for Mother’s Day weekend, Face2Face Africa reported earlier this month.
Per Florida Today, authorities said the fatal incident happened outside a popular nightspot in Downtown Melbourne in the wee hours of May 11. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Stephan Dieujuste, is said to have shot and killed the victim, Nathaniel Bernard Jennings, 19, during an argument.
Jennings was a football player for the University of Northwestern in Minnesota, and Dieujuste was a former basketball player for Eastern Florida State College. In the aftermath of the shooting, Melbourne police said Dieujuste told detectives that he acted in self-defense.
