Murdered Auburn football star wanted to be an FBI agent

The teenage football player who was shot and killed in Auburn, Alabama, had dreams of working for the FBI, his father has said.

Jakell Lenard Mitchell, 18, was fatally shot at a party early Sunday morning during an alleged argument with two men.

A 22-year-old man has been charged with his murder and is being held in county jail, Auburn police have said.

His father, Mario Mitchell, described the freshman as a ‘good, fun-living kid’ who hoped to start as halfback next season.

He said Mitchell was a joyous teen who sometimes talked about being an FBI agent and scratched plans of going to college in Florida as soon as he met Auburn University football coach Gus Malzahn.

Police have arrested 22-year-old Markale Deandra Hart of Camp Hill, Alabama, in connection with Mitchell’s murder.

Auburn Police Capt. Will Matthews said Hart has been arrested on a felony warrant charging him with murder and is being held at a county jail in the state.

It was not immediately known if Hart had an attorney and the statement didn’t provide any details of how he was taken into custody.

Police also disclosed in the statement that Mitchell, who was shot early Sunday at an off-campus apartment complex, received multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

The statement says no additional arrests are expected at this time, but didn’t elaborate further on the shooting and arrest.

Mitchell was shot and killed Sunday morning at an apartment complex near the Auburn University campus, police and news reports said.

Captain Will Matthews said police responded at 12:25 a.m. Sunday to a shots fired call at the Tiger Lodge apartment complex, where the 18-year-old Mitchell was found.

Mitchell’s girlfriend, Ayanna Hughuley, 17, said he was arguing with someone at a party when a third person opened fire.

Ms Hughuley said the third man ‘just started shooting’after which Mitchell fell on the ground, tried to get up and run, then fell again.

She said the other man started shooting Mitchell again while he was on the ground.

Mitchell was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Mitchell redshirted this season for the Auburn Tigers out of nearby Opelika High School. He was expected to contend for a starting spot next season at H-Back and tight end.

On the Auburn Tigers’ website, coach Gus Malzahn earlier said of Mitchell ‘He’s going to play our three back. He’s a guy we identified when he was a junior. He runs a very similar offense.

‘ He can block, he can catch, he’s got a little bit of running back skills. He played a bit of wildcat when he was a junior and then hurt his knee. We feel the sky is the limit for this guy.’

Mitchell missed his senior season at Opelika as he recovered from an ACL injury. He rushed for 392 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2013 as a junior.

‘This is a sad day. It’s terrible — terrible,’ Brian Blackmon, the Opelika High football coach, told The Opelika-Auburn News.

Auburn University spokesman Mike Clardy said in a statement to GMA ‘The thoughts and prayers of all of us at Auburn University are with the Mitchell family during this difficult time.’

The shooting Sunday happened at the same apartment complex Desmonte Leonard killed three men at a party in the summer of 2012, according to al.com.

Jurors convicted Leonard of capital murder in the shooting deaths of former Auburn football players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips along with DeMario Pitts.

Source: The DailyMail