A college football player with the University of Southern Mississippi has died after being shot this week in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, police said.
Marcus “M.J.” Daniels Jr., 21, who was a cornerback for the University of Southern Mississippi’s Golden Eagles football team, was found unresponsive in his vehicle on June 11, according to a press release issued by the Hattiesburg Police Department.
The department’s crime scene unit confirmed that Daniels had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the Daniels family. We are doing all that we can to locate the perpetrators to bring justice to the victim and his family,” police Chief Hardy Sims said in a statement.
Sims asked community members to come forward if they had information related to Daniels’ death and said police were working closely with the University of Southern Mississippi and local officials.
According to a statement posted on the university’s official website, Daniels was from Lucedale, Mississippi. He played his first season with the Golden Eagles last fall — totaling 29 tackles and three interceptions across 12 games — after transferring from the University of Mississippi, the statement said.
“The University of Southern Mississippi and the Department of Athletics mourn the loss of M.J. Daniels whose life was lost Tuesday evening during an incident that occurred off campus. We send our sincere condolences to his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time,” the statement said.
The university honored Daniels by sharing his photo in a June 12 post on social media.
“Southern Miss mourns the loss of MJ Daniels,” the school wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Daniels family, friends, and Southern Miss community.”