Hampton basketball captain dies in Va. shooting

Hampton basketball captain dies in Va. shooting

Published Oct. 27, 2009 9:23 p.m. ET

A Hampton University basketball player has died from what police call an accidental shooting outside a nightclub. Theo Smalling of Tampa, Fla., died Monday night, according to a university statement Tuesday. Police said the 22-year-old team captain was shot in the abdomen early Saturday in the parking lot of a nightclub after another man mishandled a firearm. Police have charged 21-year-old Dominique Devon Smith with reckless handling of a firearm. They could not say if he has an attorney. Police are awaiting autopsy results. HU basketball coach Ed Joyner called Smalling's death a "devastating loss." Hampton President William R. Harvey described him as a "model" student-athlete. A campus memorial in Smalling's memory was planned Thursday night. --- On the Web: Hampton University Athletics: http://www.hamptonpirates.com/

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