MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A freshman football player for Ole Miss is dead after authorities in Tennessee say he and four other people were shot outside a home late Saturday night.
Detectives with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened in Cordova, just outside of Memphis, shortly after 10 p.m.
Arriving deputies stopped a car at an intersection and found one person suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene and has since been identified as 18-year-old Corey Adams of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Four other men arrived by personal vehicles at area hospitals in non-critical condition. Deputies are still looking for a suspect in the shooting.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic. One man, who didn’t want to be on camera, told Nexstar’s WREG that the home where the shooting happened appeared to be hosting a pool party. He said multiple cars lined the street.
“I was watching TV in my living room right here and I heard big shots. Huge shots,” he said. “I thought there was a big attack happening. I told my children just to lie on the ground and turn off all the lights. Definitely, there was a big fear.”
By the time deputies arrived, he said everyone attending the party was gone.
Shell casings were scattered across the scene, and at least one home was hit by several bullets. This is an ongoing homicide investigation by SCSO detectives. Anyone with information about this shooting is encouraged to call Crimestoppers at 528-CASH.
Adams was an incoming freshman at the University of Mississippi and was going to play for the football team. He had been one of the top defensive linemen recruits in the country.
The University of Mississippi released a statement on Adams, saying, “We are devastated to learn that Corey Adams, a freshman on the team, passed away last night in Cordova, Tennessee. While our program is trying to cope with this tragic loss, our thoughts are with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Adams’ former New Orleans high school football team, the Edna Karr Cougars, said in a Facebook post that “words can’t describe this type of pain.”
“Corey Adams was more than a football player! He was a friend, brother, son, student, and all around great young man,” the team stated. “We never question God but this is one we just don’t understand.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.