By Woody Baird
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A University of Memphis football player was fatally shot on campus in what police believe was a targeted attack, and classes were canceled yesterday as a precaution.
Taylor Bradford, 21, apparently was shot near a university housing complex at approximately 9:45 p.m. Sunday and then crashed a car he was driving into a tree a short distance away, officials said.
"We found him with a bullet wound to the body, and the ambulance took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced (dead)," said Roger Prewitt, a Memphis Police inspector.
Detectives investigating the shooting received reports of gunfire heard in a parking lot of the housing complex approximately 200 yards from where Bradford was found, police spokeswoman Monique Martin said.
Homicide detectives were unsure of a motive and had no suspects, she said.
"This was an act directed specifically toward the victim, and it was not a random act of violence," university president Shirley Raines said.
Residence halls in the surrounding area were closed to outsiders immediately, and residents were advised not to go outside. Students, faculty and staff were told by e-mail early yesterday that classes were canceled.
Bradford, a 5-foot-11, 300-pound defensive lineman, was a junior who transferred to Memphis after two seasons at Samford in Birmingham, Ala. He was on the Memphis roster but had not played in a game.
Memphis plays host to Marshall tonight. A moment of silence is planned before the game. Yesterday, several football players and others tied red ribbons and left notes at the tree where Bradford was found. Some students planned a vigil in the evening.
"Our entire football team is deeply saddened by the loss of Taylor," coach Tommy West said in a statement. "He was well respected and a popular member of our team. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."
Bradford lettered in three sports at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tenn., and held school records in the shotput and discus.
