AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn freshman football player Jakell Mitchell was shot and killed early Sunday morning at an apartment complex near the Auburn University campus.
The Auburn Police Department is investigating and developing leads as it searches for a suspect.
Police responded to the Tiger Lodge apartment complex at 12:25 a.m., where Mitchell suffered a fatal injury, Auburn police Capt. Will Matthews told AL.com.
Mitchell was rushed to East Alabama Medical Center by ambulance with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Lee County Coroner’s Office. He died shortly after arriving at the emergency room. The death is being treated as a homicide. An autopsy will be performed in Montgomery.
The Auburn Police and Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences were still working the scene in a parking lot inside the Tiger Lodge apartment complex as of 6 a.m.
Anyone with information about the shooting should contact the Auburn Police Department.
Mitchell redshirted this season for the Auburn Tigers out of nearby Opelika High. The local star was ranked the 17th-best tight end in the country by 247sports.com.
Mitchell sat out the 2014 season at Auburn to gain weight and get ready for 2015. He was expected to contend for a starting spot next season at H-Back and tight end following the departures of seniors Brandon Fulse and C.J. Uzomah.
Mitchell turned heads in fall camp and had the biggest play in the final scrimmage of preseason drills when he caught a deep pass for a 70-yard gain.
Mitchell missed his senior season at Opelika High as he recovered from an ACL injury. He rushed for 392 yards and 17 touchdowns and added 403 receiving yards as a junior in 2013.
The shooting early Sunday occurred at the same apartment complex Desmonte Leonard killed three men, including former Auburn players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips, at a party in the summer of 2012. He was convicted of capital murder, attempted murder and assault in October and will be sentenced Jan. 7.
Jakell Mitchell’s high school coach, Brian Blackmon, to the O-A News: « This is a sad day. It’s terrible — terrible. »
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) December 14, 2014
AL.com will update this story when more information is made available.