High school football star found shot dead in street, CA officials say. ‘Devastating’
_fitted.png "A star high school football player was found shot dead on the street, California officials said.")
A star high school football player was found shot dead on the street, California officials said.
Deputies discovered Richard Reed, 17, “lying in the street with a gunshot wound” in Victorville shortly after 11 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a Nov. 1 news release. He was pronounced dead on scene.
Richard’s mother, Reisha Reed, said his death has left her with “so many unanswered questions,” ABC 7 News reported.
“I know things happen bad all the time. It’s just like, ‘It’s my baby. My baby’s not here,’” she told the outlet.
Carl Coles, Victor Valley Union High School District’s superintendent, called Richard’s death a “heartbreaking loss,” according to a statement posted on Facebook on Oct. 31.
“We will continue to support each other as we face this devastating tragedy,” Coles said in the statement.
The high school senior started playing on the school’s varsity football team his freshman year, Silverado’s head coach Keron Jones told the Los Angeles Times.
“He was that good,” Jones said, the newspaper reported. “His energy was infectious. He was so respected by his teammates.”
In addition to being a star football player, Richard was also an honor roll student, NBC Los Angeles reported.
“He was a great, genuine young man,” Tashawn Wilson, a friend of Richard’s, told NBC Los Angeles. “He had love for everybody.”
For Richard, football was life, according to a GoFundMe set up for the family.
“His dream was always to pursue a professional career in the game that defined him,” the GoFundMe said.
That game will continue on in his honor on Friday, Nov. 4, during Silverado’s first-round playoff game, according to the district’s statement.
“Many of the players are still in shock, and when we heard the news today, football was the furthest thing from our minds,” Heather Conkle, the school’s principal, said in the statement. “But the players are also extremely unified right now. They want to play this game for Richard.”
His death is still being investigated, and anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s department at 909-890-4908.
Victorville is about 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 5:32 PM with the headline "High school football star found shot dead in street, CA officials say. ‘Devastating’."
