A teenage footballer was shot dead in Las Vegas while valiantly protecting his sister from violent muggers at the weekend.
Richard Nelson, who was in his first year at Missouri State University, was fatally wounded after an argument got dangerously out of control on Saturday night.
According to Complex, a fight between ‘several females’ escalated outside a house in a residential area in southeast Las Vegas Valley.
The 18-year-old, who was a keen footballer, went out to help his sister when a man fired ‘at least five shots’ before he fled the scene.
Police arrived to find Richard severely injured with multiple gunshot wounds and took him to a nearby trauma centre where he was tragically announced dead on arrival.
One of Richard’s former teammates from Chaparral High School wanted to make sure the world knew his friend ‘died a hero,’ while looking out for his sister.
Kyle Moats, Missouri State’s director of athletics said:
It’s tough.
A kid doesn’t get to fulfil his dreams in life. The football thing is a very small piece of it. Anytime a life is taken, we take for granted some of the things we have and the liberties we have.
According to Richard’s teammate, the man who shot him dead has now turned himself in to police.
A really tragic story and such an untimely death for the young footballer who had his whole life ahead of him.
RIP Richard Nelson.
