Two Louisville football players, James Hearns and and Henry Famurewa, and an unidentified female student were shot early Sunday morning at an off-campus party celebrating Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson’s Heisman Trophy victory. The shooting took place around 2:00 a.m. in the Retreat apartment complex. The three individuals were taken to the hospital, all suffering non-life-threatening injuries, according to WHAS 11.
Famurewa is a reserve outside linebacker for the Cardinals; the redshirt sophomore appeared in nine games this season, registering two sacks and 10 tackles. Hearns, a redshirt junior, was a more consistent presence, appearing in all 12 regular season contests and registering 31 tackles, 11 for loss, and eight sacks.
Police arrived at the scene around 2:00 a.m., finding a male and female shot and injured; a third person, either Hearns or Famurewa, arrived at the hospital after the initial pair was taken and, per WHAS 11, was confirmed to have suffered injuries at the same location. According to a USA Today interview with Hearns’s high school coach, Hearns was shot in the elbow but is recovering. An eyewitness told the outlet the altercation started as a fight at the door, leading out onto the street where gunfire ensued.
“A few minutes later I heard chaos,” said the JCTC student, who asked his name not be shared. “It was five or six guys just going at it, fighting on one side and then I see a flash come from the other side. Then I just took cover.”
Sophomore Jaylon Smith, who lives two doors down from the apartment Hearns and Famurewa were at, told WHAS 11 people began knocking on his door early Sunday morning, informing him of the shooting. Senior Darren Bruner told the station of a similar experience following the Florida State game, claiming an armed individual entered his house party; Bruner said three shots were heard from across the street after the house had been cleared.
This incident comes less than a month after two were killed and four were injured at a Thanksgiving Day public flag football event in Louisville. According to the Courier-Journal, police chief Steve Conrad told the paper the city of Louisville broke the record for the number of people shot at “nearly 500,” with homicides at 120.