Suspect arrested in fatal shooting of football recruit Tony Evans Jr.

An 18-year-old suspect has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a University of Wyoming football recruit, police said.

Keyshawn Evanta Harris was busted Thursday on a murder charge in Sunday’s shooting death of Tony Evans Jr., a 17-year-old standout senior wide receiver at Lancaster High School in Texas who was gunned down at a hotel in Dallas, police said in a statement.

18-year-old Keyshawn Harris has been arrested in the shooting death of Tony Evans Jr.
Keyshawn Harris was arrested in the murder of Tony Evans Jr.
Dallas County Sheriff’s Office

Detectives took Harris into custody following an investigation that determined he was responsible for Evans’ slaying inside Room 221 at the Hawthorn Suites early Sunday, police said.

Investigators have not announced what led up to the fatal encounter. A second person was also shot during the incident, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Both victims were taken to a hospital, where Evans was pronounced dead.

The second victim, who has not been publicly identified, was reported to be in stable condition, the newspaper reported Thursday.

Witnesses have said the shooting happening during a party inside the hotel room, according to the newspaper.

Tony Evans Jr. was set to play football at the University of Wyoming next season.
Both victims were taken to a hospital, where Evans was pronounced dead.
Twitter

Evans’ mother, Aretha Evans, said her son was a devout Christian who was ready to succeed on the college gridiron after signing a letter of intent in February with to play for the Wyoming Cowboys in the fall.

Detectives determined that Keyshawn Harris was responsible for Tony Evans Jr.'s (pictured) slaying at the Hawthorn Suites in Dallas.
Evans signed a letter of intent to play at Wyoming.
Twitter

Evans, a Lancaster native, caught 13 catches for 268 yards and four touchdowns at Lancaster High School last season.

“He wanted everything to work out,” Evans’ friend Rodney Hudson told the Morning News. “And he was going to have a breakout season. That’s what he did. Whatever he told me, he did.”

UW’s head football coach, Craig Bohl, said the program was “so sad” to learn of Evans’ death. Bohl said he plans to travel to Dallas for the late teen’s funeral, according to the Morning News.

“We expect to bury our parents; we just don’t expect to bury our children,” Bohl said at a news conference Wednesday. “Violent loss of life, that should not have happened. Unfortunately, it’s part of our society right now.”

Harris remained held at the Dallas County Jail on $500,000 bail early Friday. It’s unclear if he’s hired an attorney who could comment on the charge he faces.

Tony Evans Jr. played wide receiver at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Texas.
Tony Evans Jr. played wide receiver at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Texas.
Twitter

A message seeking additional comment from Dallas police was not immediately returned early Friday.

source: nypost.com