Authorities say homicide investigators are probing the murder of a college basketball player from Connecticut who was discovered fatally shot this weekend in a nature preserve in central New Jersey.
The athlete, named 20-year-old Phillip Urban of the neighbouring township Manapalan, was discovered “slumped over” in the driver’s seat of a white Mercedes located on a path at about 7 p.m. local time on Saturday, according to a news release from the Mercer County prosecutor. The police said they discovered Urban while responding to a report that led them to a stretch of the rural Hopewell Valley Nature Preserve approximately 15 miles from Trenton.
Police are not sure about the unclear call
The nature of the original call to the police is unclear. According to the county prosecutor’s office, after authorities discovered Urban inside the Mercedes, he was transferred to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was declared dead from a gunshot wound.
The prosecutor’s office stated that a preliminary inquiry indicates that Urban intended to meet a friend at the nature preserve on Saturday night and was shot “at some point during the contact.”
Authorities have not yet made any arrests for the crime. They request that anybody with information on the incident contact either the Mercer County Homicide Task Force or the Hopewell Township Police Department.
Urban, a Pennington School alumnus from central New Jersey, begins his collegiate basketball career at Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut, as a freshman this fall. In a tweet last spring welcoming Urban to the squad, the institution characterized him as a “skilled wing” who stood 6 feet 6 inches tall and could play numerous positions on the floor.
Chief executive officer has given a statement.
John Hopkins, the chief executive officer and president of Post University, issued a statement to NJ 101.5 on Sunday in response to the news of Urban’s death.
This season, the Manalapan, New Jersey, native had appeared in four games for a total of 10 minutes of action.
Saturday in Lakeland, Florida, the Eagles beat Florida Southern College, but Sunday’s game against Barry University was cancelled. On December 29, the squad will host Assumption University in Waterbury, Connecticut.
“The Post University community is heartbroken to learn of the death of freshman student, Philip Urban last night,” Hopkins said, according to the outlet. “As a member of the Men’s basketball team and a Business Administration major, Philip modeled the attributes of leadership, commitment and hard work on the court and in the classroom. “
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