2008 Woodie Awards
UCF cornerback shot outside home
Brian Murphy
Issue date: 5/12/08 Section: News
UCF Football senior cornerback Johnell Neal was injured in a shooting in his home town of Baton Rouge, La. around 2:30 a.m. Friday.
Baton Rouge TV station WAFB reported Friday that Neal was shot several times in the arm and chest with an assault rifle. The incident occurred in front of Neal's family home on Wyandotte Street.
"Suspects were apparently hiding beside the house and waiting for the right opportunity to shoot him while he was standing in front of the house," Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman L'Jean McKneely said to the station. McKneely also said Neal was in stable condition Friday evening and his injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.
It is not known whether Neal was the intended target in the shooting.
Neal recently returned home with his mother, Charlene Neal, and was planning to celebrate his recent graduation. He graduated from UCF with a degree in criminal justice May 2.
"I was relieved to have spoken with Johnell and his mother today," head coach George O'Leary said in a press release Thursday. "I plan on visiting them in Baton Rouge. Johnell is an outstanding leader on this football team and he knows all his teammates are thinking of him."
Neal was scheduled to return to Orlando this summer to begin working on his second bachelor's degree while preparing to use his final year of football eligibility in the fall.
A standout on the Knights' defense as a junior in 2007, Neal returned six interceptions for 159 yards, the second-highest interception return yardage in a single season at UCF.
Baton Rouge TV station WAFB reported Friday that Neal was shot several times in the arm and chest with an assault rifle. The incident occurred in front of Neal's family home on Wyandotte Street.
"Suspects were apparently hiding beside the house and waiting for the right opportunity to shoot him while he was standing in front of the house," Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman L'Jean McKneely said to the station. McKneely also said Neal was in stable condition Friday evening and his injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.
It is not known whether Neal was the intended target in the shooting.
Neal recently returned home with his mother, Charlene Neal, and was planning to celebrate his recent graduation. He graduated from UCF with a degree in criminal justice May 2.
"I was relieved to have spoken with Johnell and his mother today," head coach George O'Leary said in a press release Thursday. "I plan on visiting them in Baton Rouge. Johnell is an outstanding leader on this football team and he knows all his teammates are thinking of him."
Neal was scheduled to return to Orlando this summer to begin working on his second bachelor's degree while preparing to use his final year of football eligibility in the fall.
A standout on the Knights' defense as a junior in 2007, Neal returned six interceptions for 159 yards, the second-highest interception return yardage in a single season at UCF.