Classes Canceled And Campus On Lockdown With Killer Reportedly Still At Large
Taylor Bradford, a 21-year-old defensive lineman from Nashville who had just transferred to the University of Memphis in 2006, was pronounced dead late Sunday evening after being shot in what authorities are saying was no random attack. Bradford is believed to have driven his Lincoln after being hit before colliding with a tree near Zach Curlin. According to police, no witnesses have come forward so far.
Right after the incident, students stood in sweatshirts, hugging and some crying outside Carpenter Complex and in Central parking lot, confused about what was going on. "I'm just concerned that I don't know anything," said biology major Krista King.
Several football players were among the many who assembled in the parking lot. As Bradford's car was being towed away, they stood in a line across from the stoplight with somber faces. Gionni Carr, Student Government Association president, urged the administration to cancel classes Monday. "School will be shut down, if I have my way, in his memory. I would like to have some sort of mass assembly so we can all talk about this…we are in a situation where no one feels safe. I don't feel safe."
Nicknamed "Booger" among friends and family, Bradford had stopped by all the sorority houses with the president of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Will Terrell, and another Nupe to encourage all the sororities to participate in an up-coming fraternity event in order to promote diversity. Being so close to the murder, the African American sorority women living in the Carpenter Townhouses expressed uneasiness about the safety on campus.
"As a young woman who lives in the new sorority houses, I'm concerned about the safety not only of residents, but for all students here on campus because of the amount of crime that has recently occurred," said communications major, Molly Phinney.
"Taylor was my brother," Terrell said speaking by phone from the hospital. "We will miss him dearly. He will be remembered. He loved to play football. He loved his family, he loved his friends and he loved Kappa. He was always full of innovation and ideas. If you were around him, you were going to have a good time."
Taylor Bradford, a 21-year-old defensive lineman from Nashville who had just transferred to the University of Memphis in 2006, was pronounced dead late Sunday evening after being shot in what authorities are saying was no random attack. Bradford is believed to have driven his Lincoln after being hit before colliding with a tree near Zach Curlin. According to police, no witnesses have come forward so far.
Right after the incident, students stood in sweatshirts, hugging and some crying outside Carpenter Complex and in Central parking lot, confused about what was going on. "I'm just concerned that I don't know anything," said biology major Krista King.
Several football players were among the many who assembled in the parking lot. As Bradford's car was being towed away, they stood in a line across from the stoplight with somber faces. Gionni Carr, Student Government Association president, urged the administration to cancel classes Monday. "School will be shut down, if I have my way, in his memory. I would like to have some sort of mass assembly so we can all talk about this…we are in a situation where no one feels safe. I don't feel safe."
Nicknamed "Booger" among friends and family, Bradford had stopped by all the sorority houses with the president of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Will Terrell, and another Nupe to encourage all the sororities to participate in an up-coming fraternity event in order to promote diversity. Being so close to the murder, the African American sorority women living in the Carpenter Townhouses expressed uneasiness about the safety on campus.
"As a young woman who lives in the new sorority houses, I'm concerned about the safety not only of residents, but for all students here on campus because of the amount of crime that has recently occurred," said communications major, Molly Phinney.
"Taylor was my brother," Terrell said speaking by phone from the hospital. "We will miss him dearly. He will be remembered. He loved to play football. He loved his family, he loved his friends and he loved Kappa. He was always full of innovation and ideas. If you were around him, you were going to have a good time."