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Classes at the University of Memphis were canceled yesterday after a football player was fatally shot on campus in what school officials said was a targeted attack but city police later said could have been random.
By late yesterday afternoon police had not identified any suspects in the slaying of Taylor Bradford, who was shot about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, apparently near a university housing complex.
After the shooting, the 21-year-old junior crashed a car he was driving into a tree. Police said they had not determined whether he was shot before or after he started driving the vehicle.
Police were responding to a car crash when Bradford was found slumped over in the vehicle on a campus street about 200 yards from his apartment complex.
"It wasn't until the paramedics got there that they determined there was a possible gunshot wound," said Bruce Harber, director of university police. He was apparently shot once, police said, though an autopsy was pending.
University president Shirley Raines said authorities quickly determined Bradford's killers were not a threat to other students but still banned all outsiders from campus housing throughout the night.
In an e-mail alert to students and faculty and staff members at 3:40 a.m. yesterday, the university said "the initial investigation indicates this was an act directed specifically toward the victim and was not a random act of violence."
The university, which is primarily a commuter campus, still decided to cancel classes.
"We feel like the campus is safe, but we'd rather err on the side of safety than not," spokesman Curt Guenther said.
City Police Director Larry Godwin said a motive for the shooting had not been determined.
Bradford, a 5-foot-11, 300-pound defensive lineman, was a junior who transferred to Memphis last year after two seasons at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. The Nashville resident was to have begun playing for the Tigers this season.
Memphis hosts Marshall tonight, and a moment of silence is planned before the game.
• Maryland // Backup quarterback Chris Turner shared an Atlantic Coast Conference weekly award. Turner and Florida State backup quarterback Xavier Lee were named co-Offensive Backs of the Week after leading their teams to victories against ranked opponents. Turner replaced an injured Jordan Steffy late in the first half and threw for 149 yards while leading the Terps back from a three-point deficit to beat then-No. 10 Rutgers, 34-24. Lee came off the bench in the second half and finished with 224 yards passing with two touchdowns in a 21-14 win against then-No. 22 Alabama.
• Texas // Quarterback Colt McCoy will play against No. 10 Oklahoma this weekend after showing signs of a concussion and being taken out of the game in a loss to Kansas State on Saturday. "I feel fine," McCoy said. He threw four interceptions in his worst game for No. 19 Texas (4-1, 0-1 Big 12) in the 41-21 defeat. He was hurt in the second quarter.
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