North Carolina

College student found fatally shot in car. He played football at Charlotte high school.

A North Carolina college football tight end who played at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the driver’s seat of a car in Hickory early Saturday, police said.

Police “attempted to provide medical aid” to 19-year-old Omari Alexander of Concord, but paramedics soon pronounced him dead, according to a Hickory Police Department news release.

Omari Alexander, shown in this November 2019 photo, played football when he was a student at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte. He was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of a car in Hickory on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.
Omari Alexander, shown in this November 2019 photo, played football when he was a student at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte. He was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of a car in Hickory on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. Jonathan Aguallo Observer file photo

Alexander was a 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore on the Lenoir-Rhyne University football team, according to his bio on the school athletic department website.

Responding to a call of shots fired, police said they found Alexander in a black 2015 Chevrolet Camaro in the parking lot of the Civitan Court Apartments, in the 400 block of 17th Avenue NE. Police said they arrived just before 1 a.m.

Alexander “was unresponsive” when officers approached the car, according to the release. The Camaro’s engine was running.

The apartments are off the Lenoir-Rhyne campus, school officials said on Twitter, adding that “Lenoir-Rhyne is grieving the loss” of Alexander. He was from Concord, according to the school.

“Out of respect for his family, the university will have no further comment at this time,” according to the tweet.

Hickory police have no information about a suspect to release to the public, Capt. Jeff Young said.

Police urged anyone with information about the shooting to call the department at 828-328-5551 or Investigator David Moore at 828-261-2686 or via email at dfmoore@hickorync.gov.

Omari Alexander, a 19-year-old Lenoir-Rhyne University student from Concord, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in a car in the 400 block of 17th Avenue. NE in Hickory, NC on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.
Omari Alexander, a 19-year-old Lenoir-Rhyne University student from Concord, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in a car in the 400 block of 17th Avenue. NE in Hickory, NC on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. Google Street View

This story was originally published November 20, 2021 at 6:49 PM with the headline "College student found fatally shot in car. He played football at Charlotte high school.."

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Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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