A high school football coach was shot and killed Saturday afternoon outside a youth football game in Texas.
According to ABC News, Travis High School coach and teacher Derwyn Lauderdale was shot in the stomach in a parking lot outside of Seabourne Creek Sports Complex in Rosenberg, Texas. The 29-year-old was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
"What a sad set of circumstances that took place during this event. Children came to play a game they love, only to have it ruined by a career criminal committing an act of family violence," Rosenberg police chief Jonathan White said at a news conference, according to ABC News. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this tragedy and we will pursue appropriate charges so justice may be served."
James Hamilton, 28, was taken into custody on suspicion of murdering Lauderdale. Hamilton was allegedly in the possession of a handgun that had been reported stolen to the Houston Police Department.
"During the investigation, it was found James Hamilton and Derwyn Lauderdale had an on-going family-related dispute," police said in a written statement.
According to KTRK, an ABC affiliate, police say Hamilton is the biological father of Lauderdale’s stepchildren.
Houston Community Newspapers reported that Lauderdale, a former football player at Southwest Baptist University, was in his first year coaching and teaching at Travis High School.
"We are stunned by this news," Southwest Baptist University director of athletics Mike Pitts said in a statement, according to KTRK. "Derwyn had been a member of the Bearcat Family for nearly a decade and we will miss him. Our hearts, thoughts, and (especially) prayers go out to Derwyn's family and to the coaches and players of SBU Football."
