Police say that former Sacramento Kings basketball player Tyler Honeycutt shot and killed himself during a standoff with police, according to ESPN.
Friday night, the Los Angeles police responded to a call about an erratically-behaving man in his 20s who was barricaded in his home. Police said Honeycutt was waving a gun at officers as they approached. According to reports, crisis negotiators were called in to the area of Riverside Drive and Tyrone Avenue to talk Honeycutt down.
“We can confirm that during the initial encounter the suspect fired a shot out of the residence and officers returned fire. No officers were injured and it’s unknown if the suspect was struck,” said the Los Angeles Police Department at the time.
A SWAT team swarmed in to a home to find Honeycutt unresponsive. On Saturday, a family member confirmed to KABC that Honeycutt had died.
The LAPD updated their report to say the bullets fired by their officers were not to blame:
“Regarding last night’s Officer-Involved Shooting in Van Nuys Division, it appears as if the suspect was not struck by any officer’s gunfire. The suspect appears to have sustained injuries consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
“Investigations from our Force Investigation Division are at scene conducting a thorough investigation and we will provide more details as they become available,” the LAPD added.
UPDATE: Regarding last nights Officer-Involved Shooting in Van Nuys Division, it appears as if the suspect was not struck by any officer’s gunfire. The suspect appears to have sustained injuries consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 7, 2018
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Honeycutt played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2011. The 27-year-old was later traded to the Houston Rockets and released within a month. Honeycutt took his talents overseas and played recently for the Russian team Khimki, according to reports.
The EuroLeague tweeted out their condolences for the fallen NBA star.
The Euroleague Basketball family expresses its sadness on the untimely passing of Tyler Honeycutt and offers condolences to his family, friends, teammates, coaches and many fans. May he rest in peace.
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) July 7, 2018
“The Euroleague Basketball family expresses its sadness on the untimely passing of Tyler Honeycutt and offers condolences to his family, friends, teammates, coaches and many fans. May he rest in peace.”
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