FITCHBURG, MASS. (WHDH) - An investigation is underway after a Fitchburg State University football player was fatally shot at a party in Oklahoma on Friday night, officials said.
Officers responding to a reported shooting at an Airbnb in Tulsa shortly before 10 p.m. learned Desmond Clayton had been shot multiple times while at a party that was attended by about 25 people, according to the Tulsa Police Department.
Clayton was taken to an area hospital, where he later died, police said.
“He was very goofy, he was funny, he was a fun person to hang out with,” his aunt Harrica Richard said. “He did everything and anything for anybody. He’d give you the shirt off his back if you asked for it.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, the university confirmed that Clayton was a freshman and a member of the football team.
“Our campus community mourns the untimely passing of Desmond Clayton,” Matthew J. Bruun, director of public relations at Fitchburg State University, said in a statement. “We have been in touch with Desmond’s family to offer our condolences and support during this difficult time, and we ask our entire community to keep his family and friends in their thoughts.”
Football coach Scott Sperone described Clayton as a “confident, outgoing” player with a big personality that “would light up any room.”
The Falcons opted to cancel their 2020-2021 football season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We talked on the phone every other day. He loved Fitchburg. I didn’t think he was gonna leave me to go 28 hours from me, but he really enjoyed being down there,” Richard said.
Counseling services staff have since made available to help students as they process Clayton’s death.
Clayton’s family said they do not want him remembered as just another victim of gun violence.
“I want him to be remembered as he was — a good person,” Richard said.
Tulsa police are offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest in the shooting.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.
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