USA: AMERICAN FOOTBALL - Denver Broncos football player Darrent Williams killed early Monday morning (January 1) in a drive-by shooting in Denver, Colorado

Denver Broncos football player Darrent Williams was killed early Monday morning (January 1) in a drive-by shooting, according to a statement on the team's Web site. Williams, 24, was riding in a limousine in downtown Denver after 2 a.m. (4 a.m. EST/0900 GMT) when shots fired from another vehicle hit him and a man and woman also riding in his car, said Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson. "Multiple shots were fired into the vehicle, striking three people and one male party was transported to a hospital and was pronounced dead," Jackson said. The team said in a statement that "Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed early Monday morning." Jackson said the two wounded people were also taken to a local hospital with "non-life threatening injuries." Police have no suspects and were interviewing eyewitnesses, he said. "It is a terrible tragedy," National Football League spokesman Greg Aiello told Reuters. "We don't know all the details yet, but we are reaching out to the Broncos to offer our support." The shooting occurred just hours after the Broncos were eliminated from the playoffs with a 26-23 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Williams was in his second season with the Broncos coming out of Oklahoma State University as a second-round draft choice. The 5-foot-8 (1.7-metre), 188-pound (85.4 kg) cornerback started 9 games in 2005, the most by a rookie at that position since 1975. He had two interceptions in 2005 and four this season. Williams was remembered by at former high school coach. Mike Underwood his coach at Wyatt High School in Fort Worth said "It's hard... definitely a good kid. It's going to be tough... so much potential and he's gone like that. It just reminds you you're not guaranteed a tomorrow."

ITN Source | January 3, 2007

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