A player on the University of Southern Mississippi football team is dead after a late-night shooting in Hattiesburg.
Tate Rutland, public information officer with the Hattiesburg Police Department, said the shooting occurred at approximately 9 p.m. June 11 in the 6300 block of U.S. 49. Officers arrived at the scene and found a male unresponsive in his vehicle.
Forrest County Coroner Lisa Klem identified the deceased as Marcus ‘MJ’ Daniels Jr., who was pronounced dead on the scene. His body is being sent to the state crime lab in Jackson for an autopsy.
Daniels, who was 21 years old, was a starting defensive back for the Golden Eagles, where he had started 12 games this past year.
The George County High School alum spent the first two years of his college career at Ole Miss before transferring to USM.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the Daniels family," HPD officials announced in a statement. "We are doing all that we can to locate the perpetrators to bring justice to the victim and his family.
"We are asking the community for their help and to come forward with any information pertaining to this tragic incident and the untimely death of Marcus Daniels."
Officials from Southern Miss also released a statement regarding Daniels on the morning of June 12.
"We send our sincere condolences to his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time," read the statement. "The University of Southern Mississippi Student Counseling Services has been made available to members of the Golden Eagle football program and individuals close to the university.
"Out of respect for the family and all impacted in this matter, the university and athletic department will have no further comment at this time."
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Hattiesburg police at (601) 545-4971 or Metro Crime Stoppers by dialing **Tips. Anonymous tips also can be submitted at www.p3tips.com.
Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to felony arrests.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is released.
