National Football League

The Latest: McKnight's Jets teammates remember him fondly

Published Dec. 2, 2016 4:46 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

The Latest on the fatal shooting of former NFL player Joe McKnight (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

In a mostly somber New York Jets locker room, former teammates remembered slain former NFL player Joe McKnight as a ''laid-back guy'' who loved to laugh and keep everyone upbeat.

McKnight was shot and killed Thursday in a New Orleans suburb. Authorities have described his death as the culmination of a ''road rage'' incident with another driver.

McKnight played for the Jets from 2010-12 and was among the team's final training camp cuts in 2013 after being a fourth-round draft pick out of USC.

Only a handful of players remain from those New York teams, but the impact McKnight left was clear.

Quarterback Geno Smith says McKnight was ''...the first guy who actually talked to me here'' during his rookie year.

He says McKnight was ''funny'' and a ''real laid-back guy.''

--

2:30 p.m.

A suburban New Orleans sheriff calls the shooting of ex-NFL player Joe McKnight a ''road rage'' incident and defended his handling of the investigation.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand on Friday said the altercation started on a nearby bridge - possibly when one of the two men cut the other off - and then proceeded into nearby streets in his New Orleans suburb.

Authorities say the other man, Ronald Gasser, shot McKnight three times from inside his car while McKnight was standing outside. Witnesses say the two had been in a heated argument.

Gasser was released overnight, sparking criticism.

But Normand defended his handling of the case, saying the investigation was ongoing. No charges have been filed.

Speaking of Gasser's release, the sheriff said the state has certain ''statutes'' that provide a defense to certain crimes but did not go into further detail.

--

1:45 p.m.

A suburban New Orleans sheriff says a man fired three rounds from inside his vehicle in the fatal shooting of former NFL player Joe McKnight, adding McKnight was standing outside the other man's vehicle.

A sheriff's statement added that preliminary accounts from witnesses and the shooter ''suggested these events represented the culmination of a road rage incident.''

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand released the statement ahead of a Friday afternoon news conference in which he said Ronald Gasser fired three rounds through an open window. He added that all three rounds struck McKnight.

The statement said Gasser handed a semi-automatic handgun over to officers who arrived at the scene of Thursday's shooting.

Normand's statement also said witnesses observed a ''heated verbal exchange'' between Gasser and McKnight before the shooting.

The sheriff didn't immediately announce any charges and cautioned repeatedly against a rush to judgment.

The sheriff's office announced previously that Gasser was released from custody overnight.

---

12:30 p.m.

A grandmother of Joe McKnight says family members are still seeking information on the former NFL player's death and why the man a sheriff identified as the shooter was released from custody.

Barbara Franklin told The Associated Press by telephone Friday that relatives are ''trying to find out our own selves'' more about what happened.

She says family members haven't had any communication with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office about Ronald Gasser's release, saying she learned of it through a radio broadcast Friday.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand on Thursday said Gasser was the man who shot McKnight. The shooting happened about 3 p.m. Thursday in the New Orleans suburb of Terrytown.

''He might be released now, but God is going to bring about justice in it,'' Franklin said of Gasser's release.

Jennifer McKnight, the athlete's mother, declined through tears to speak to a reporter.

---

9:45 a.m.

Authorities say the man they identified as having fatally shot former NFL player Joe McKnight was released from custody overnight.

Col. John Fortunato is a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. He tells news media outlets Ronald Gasser hasn't been charged at this time and the shooting is still under investigation.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand on Thursday said Gasser was the person who shot McKnight.

The shooting happened about 3 p.m. Thursday in Terrytown, a suburb of New Orleans just across the Mississippi River.

McKnight is the second former NFL player this year to die in the New Orleans area as a result of a possible road-rage incident. Former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith was killed in April in a shooting that was sparked by a traffic altercation.

---

3:30 a.m.

Former NFL player Joe McKnight has been shot to death following an argument at an intersection with another motorist outside New Orleans.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand says it happened about 2:43 p.m. Thursday in Terrytown, a suburb of New Orleans.

Normand says 28-year-old McKnight was standing outside his car when he was shot by 54-year-old Ronald Gasser.

Normand says Gasser stayed at the scene and relinquished his weapon to responding officers. He says Gasser is in custody and being questioned.

Sheriff's spokesman Col. John Fortunato says they're anticipating charging Gasser but it's unclear with what.

McKnight, who played for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, is the second NFL player this year to die as a result of a possible road-rage incident. Saints player Will Smith was killed in April.

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League