http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2010-02-18/rajaan-bennett-vanderbilt-football-signee-killed-murder-suicide
Rajaan Bennett, a football standout at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga., was killed early Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide at his family's home, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Bennett, 18, had signed just two weeks ago to play football at Vanderbilt in the fall. A star running back and captain of McEachern's 2009 football team, Bennett rushed for 1,857 yards and 28 touchdowns on 236 carries as a senior.
About 2:30 a.m. Thursday, police got a 911 call from the home, with someone whispering that they needed help. Officers arrived about four minutes later, and "as they approached and knocked on the door, they heard several gunshots," Powders Springs police Major Charles Spann told the newspaper.
Immediately following the shots, Narjaketha Bennett, 37, and Taiwan Hunter, 32, ran from the house, police said.
Powder Springs police Lt. Matt Boyd said two juveniles also exited the home uninjured, and Hunter, who is Narjaketha Bennett's brother, had been struck by a gunshot. He was undergoing surgery this morning.
The Cobb County police SWAT team was called to the scene, and when officers entered the home, they found two people who had been shot and killed. One was Rajaan Bennett, the AJC reports.
"The 39-year-old suspect was also found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," Boyd said. He was later identified as Clifton O'Neal Steager, 39, a former boyfriend of Narjaketha Bennett.
Rajaan Bennett was the AJC's Classs 4A Offensive Player of the Year and was No. 25 on the newspaper's "Fab 50" list of recruits.
McEachern High School football coach Kyle Hockman told the AJC he learned of his player's death about 5 a.m. Thursday. "I don't know the timing of it," Hockman said. "I just don't know a lot more information."
Asked what kind of young man Rajaan Bennett was, Hockman said, "just one of the best ever."
Rajaan Bennett chose Vanderbilt over other schools such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Louisville.
Hockman told Vanderbilt officials two weeks ago, "I'm sure you want to talk about Rajaan on the football field, but I promise he's a better person than he is player. He has a great head on his shoulders, a guy that has been the man in his household for quite a while, yet still worked to maintain a solid GPA in class and become such a great player.
Rajaan Bennett, a football standout at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga., was killed early Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide at his family's home, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Bennett, 18, had signed just two weeks ago to play football at Vanderbilt in the fall. A star running back and captain of McEachern's 2009 football team, Bennett rushed for 1,857 yards and 28 touchdowns on 236 carries as a senior.
About 2:30 a.m. Thursday, police got a 911 call from the home, with someone whispering that they needed help. Officers arrived about four minutes later, and "as they approached and knocked on the door, they heard several gunshots," Powders Springs police Major Charles Spann told the newspaper.
Immediately following the shots, Narjaketha Bennett, 37, and Taiwan Hunter, 32, ran from the house, police said.
Powder Springs police Lt. Matt Boyd said two juveniles also exited the home uninjured, and Hunter, who is Narjaketha Bennett's brother, had been struck by a gunshot. He was undergoing surgery this morning.
The Cobb County police SWAT team was called to the scene, and when officers entered the home, they found two people who had been shot and killed. One was Rajaan Bennett, the AJC reports.
"The 39-year-old suspect was also found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," Boyd said. He was later identified as Clifton O'Neal Steager, 39, a former boyfriend of Narjaketha Bennett.
Rajaan Bennett was the AJC's Classs 4A Offensive Player of the Year and was No. 25 on the newspaper's "Fab 50" list of recruits.
McEachern High School football coach Kyle Hockman told the AJC he learned of his player's death about 5 a.m. Thursday. "I don't know the timing of it," Hockman said. "I just don't know a lot more information."
Asked what kind of young man Rajaan Bennett was, Hockman said, "just one of the best ever."
Rajaan Bennett chose Vanderbilt over other schools such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Louisville.
Hockman told Vanderbilt officials two weeks ago, "I'm sure you want to talk about Rajaan on the football field, but I promise he's a better person than he is player. He has a great head on his shoulders, a guy that has been the man in his household for quite a while, yet still worked to maintain a solid GPA in class and become such a great player.
