A member of Leon High School's (Tallahassee, FL) junior varsity football team is in the ICU following the mass shooting that occurred following Florida A&M University's homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that Leon sophomore Tramon Jackson was shot twice when a 15-year-old opened fired and injured 11 people
following FAMU's 31-28 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff.After visiting Jackson in the hospital, Leon head coach Ricky Bell confirmed with the Democrat that Jackson was the player and had been shot in the shoulder and in the back. Bell noted that he talked with Jackson's mother and that he was in "good spirits".
"She told me what was going on and she said that he got shot
twice," Bell told the Tallahassee Democrat. "They were going to remove the bullet when it settled but it hadn't settled yet. She said he wasn't paralyzed or anything and he was in stable condition and seemed to be getting better.
"She was just prayerful for her son, and he seemed to be in decent spirits. He was resting and he looked like he was comfortable. But I just wanted to make sure he was doing OK."
According to Bell, Jackson was not involved in any altercations and was just there taking in the postgame festivities when shots began to ring out.
Anthony Rivers III is the suspect and faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a delinquent. Of the 11 people injured in the shooting, six were children with the youngest being 11 years old.
Tallahassee authorities believe the incident stemmed from a dispute between several people known to one another but have not said what might have led to the altercation. None of the victims were believe to be "intended targets," officials said.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said detectives believe there was only one shooter but said additional arrests are possible as the investigation remains open and active.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida high school football player among victims of FAMU shooting, remains in ICU
