For the second time in almost exactly two months, one of the top defensive recruits in Ohio State’s 2010 recruiting class has been shot. This time, however, there’s a fatality involved.
According to television station WYTV in Youngstown, Ohio, 18-year-old Jamel Turner was critically wounded after being shot multiple times in or around a residence on the city’s westside. A 17-year-old girl was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds inside the residence; Turner was found lying by a stop sign near the residence and is currently listed in critical condition.
The station reported that a four-year-old child inside the home where the female died heard the deceased arguing with another male before the shooting. City police are actively searching for an 18-year-old suspect.
Turner, a defensive lineman, was a highly-touted but troubled member of the most recent OSU recruiting class and, while he had academic issues that needed to be addressed, he was expected to join the program this summer.
Turner was slightly injured in a drive-by shooting in the middle of this past April. Weed and weapons were found in the vehicle in which Turner was riding, and at the wheel of said vehicle was someone whose character resided strictly in the shade.
UPDATED 11:26 p.m. ET: Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel issued a brief statement late tonight regarding Turner’s situation.
“I’m so sad to hear of Jamel’s misfortune. I have not communicated with Jamel, but am certainly praying for him at this time.”