Eastern Michigan wide receiver Demarius Reed was shot and killed outside his off-campus apartment early Friday in an apparent robbery, police said.
According to a university statement, the junior was found about 7:15 a.m. in the 700 block of West Clark Road. Ypsilanti police told the Ann Arbor News that Reed was discovered in the hallway by his roommate, and that a homicide investigation has been launched. Reed had been shot multiple times and items appeared to have been taken from him, police said.
Heather Lyke, Eastern Michigan's athletic director, said: “Demarius was an influential leader who thrived in the classroom and on the field. Everyone gravitated to him and often described him as the `life of the locker room.’”
Eastern Michigan will play its scheduled home game against Ohio U. on Saturday, the school announced.
Reed had come to Eastern Michigan from a tough neighborhood in Chicago. His grandfather, Joe L. Reed, told the Associated Press.
“He was an outgoing, beautiful kid. He wasn’t associated with no gang or anything,” Joe L. Reed said. "I would say, `Hey man. Don’t go outside.’ I wouldn’t let him associate with anybody over there.”
Demarius Reed graduated from Simeon Academy, also the alma mater of the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose. Before Simeon's football game Friday, players gathered around Reed's high school jersey, hung on a fence near the field, and prayed.
Reed suffered a head injury in last weekend's loss to Army, later tweeting that he had a concussion.
"Things could've been a lot worse so thank u my lord..Blessed," he posted on Sunday.
Reed briefly committed to play for Wyoming and received interest from Big Ten schools, including Indiana, before settling on Eastern Michigan. Recruited as a cornerback, he moved to wide receiver for the Eagles, and caught 44 passes for 474 yards and four touchdowns in his brief career.
Anyone with information related to the homicide is asked to contact Ypsilanti Police Dept. at 734-483-9510.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
