BY LUCY CAULKETT
A professional basketball player was shot dead after kicking down the door he mistakenly thought was his girlfriend’s apartment.
Bryce Dejean-Jones was fatally wounded after forcing his way into the home of a stranger in Dallas, Texas. The killer reacted in fear that he was being attacked by an intruder and let off bullets, killing Jones instantly. It is not known exactly why Jones went to the wrong address or why he was trying to kick the door instead of me let in my his girlfriend. The killing is a harsh reminder of the importance of being careful in one’s conduct at all times. More especially in America, where crime is high, and many licensed gun holders exist who will not hesitate to use their gun.
The New Orleans Pelicans guard’s agent Scott W. Nichols said the 23-year-old was visiting the complex for the first time and accidentally went to the third floor instead of the fourth.
However, there is no explanation as to why the basketball star thought it necessary to kick the door in an intimidating manner that would alarm the resident in the manner it did.
It also raises questions as to whether he and his girlfriend had a row. It seems particularly odd that he did not wait for his girlfriend to voluntarily let him in. It is a big shame because Jones was doing well, and basketball players earn a lot of money in America especially.
Dejean-Jones began his college career with USC, appearing in 18 of 34 games as a freshman and starting in each of the Trojans’ first 10 games. In 20.6 minutes per game, he averaged 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three-point range, scoring in double figures seven times, including a career-high 21 points against New Mexico State.
After his freshman season, Dejean-Jones transferred to UNLV, redshirting as a sophomore. In 2012–13, he was named the Mountain West Preseason Co-Newcomer of the Year prior to the start of the season, going on to appear in all 35 games, starting 29. He made his debut on November 12, 2012, scoring 15 points, including hitting 3-of-4 three-pointers, in a win over Northern Arizona which was the first of 18 total games of scoring in double figures. The resident has not been charged for the killing, most probably because in Texas, it is lawful to kill in self defense particularly where the assailant has reasonable grounds to fear for the safety of his or her life. Given how dangerous and unpredictable America is, his defense will be accepted especially as the law will not find in the defense of a man who claims to have gone to the wrong house.
This professional basketball player would have inadvertently caused a lot of broken hearts because of the very costly error that he has had to pay for with his life. It’s a very sad way to die, making one truly agonize over the precise cause of the mistake on his part. How could he not know or forget what floor his girlfriend was? Lapses of memory are usually a reflection of either too many issues in the mental sphere, or a lack of care or sufficient consideration for the person giving the precise details of the information needed. An investigation has been launched, and if there is anything untoward, it will eventually come to light. There is always the possibility that the dead basketball star actually went there deliberately for any possible reasons, but was unfortunately killed before the purpose of his visit was made known.
In three different games, Jones exploded for a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11, shooting in a 76–75 win over California to help UNLV earn its best non-conference road win of the season. On February 9, 2014, he grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in a home win over New Mexico and made a career-high five three-pointers as part of a team-leading 19-point effort in the MW Tournament’s Championship game on March 16, also against the Lobos. Five days later, he made his NCAA Tournament debut against Cal, scoring a team-high 15 points in a 64–61 loss.[1]
In 2014, Dejean-Jones transferred to Iowa State to play under coach Fred Hoiberg. Dejean-Jones played in 33 games during the 2014–15 season, starting 21, averaging 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals, while shooting a career-best 47.6 percent from the field. He scored in double figures 17 times and earned CBSSports.com National Player of the Week honors after scoring a season-high 27 points in ISU’s win against nationally-ranked Arkansas. In that game, he was 8-for-8 from the field, becoming just the fifth player in school history with at least eight field goal attempts in a game without a miss. In his Cyclone debut, he recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds against
WRONG PLACE
K.C. Jones, Dejean-Jones’ father, paid a tribute to his son in a statement to KCAL-TV. He stated: ‘He has had so many things that have happened to him along his path.
‘He made up his mind that he wanted to do what he was doing – play pro ball.
And whatever it took, he was going to get there. He was going to do it.’
Nichols added: ‘It’s shocking this happened. Wrong place, wrong time, I think.’
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described the death of 6″6 Dejean-Jones as a ‘tragic loss’, adding he ‘had a bright future in our league’.
It marks the second time in two months that sports fans in New Orleans have been left mourning the death of an athlete.
Retired American football player Will Smith, who won the Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, was also shot and killed in the city on April 9.