DALLAS – New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce Dejean-Jones was fatally shot after breaking down the door to a Dallas apartment, authorities said Saturday.
A man living at the apartment was sleeping when he heard his front door kicked open, Dallas Police Senior Cpl. DeMarquis Black said in a statement. When Dejean-Jones, 23, began kicking at the bedroom door, the man retrieved a handgun and fired.
Officers who responded found Dejean-Jones collapsed in an outdoor passageway, and he later died at a hospital.
"I just lost my best friend/cousin last night enjoy life because you never know if tomorrow is guaranteed," Shabazz Muhammad of the Timberwolves wrote on Twitter.
Dejean-Jones was part of the 2014-15 Iowa State team that went 25-9, won a Big 12 title and made a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In Dejean-Jones' only NBA season, which ended in February because of a broken wrist, the 6-6 guard started 11 games and averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds.
