Former Temple men’s basketball player Micheal Blackshear was fatally shot early Thursday morning in Old City, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Police responded to reports of gunshots at 2:24 a.m. When officers arrived at the scene, they were told Blackshear, 21, was taken from 22 South Front St. to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Blackshear was pronounced dead at 2:42 a.m. of a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
“I am very, very sorry about this terrible tragedy,” Temple men’s basketball coach John Chaney said in a statement. “We are trying to reach out to his family. We are all very saddened about this.”
Blackshear, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward, played for the Owls in 2003-04 as a reserve, and was expected to play at Cheyney State this fall. Blackshear’s father, Michael, played for Chaney at Cheyney State in the late 70s. The Blackshears are the only father-son combination to have ever played for Chaney.
Vincent J. Turner, 21, a cousin of Blackshear, was taken in for questioning by police, according to the Inquirer report. Turner was reportedly spotted in a white Jeep that was identified at the crime scene. When police approached the Jeep, which had several bullet holes in the windshield and the rear window shot out, Turner fled on foot.
Police impounded the Jeep and are seeking an unknown assailant who fled in a dark-colored sedan after shooting Blackshear.
Blackshear played alongside current Temple guard Mardy Collins and under Temple assistant coach Bill Ellerbee at Simon Gratz High School, where Blackshear averaged 10.5 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
“It’s just wrong place, wrong time,” Collins said when reached by telephone in Argentina, where he is competing with the USA Under-21 team at the FIBA U21 World Championships. “We weren’t like best friends or anything, but I knew him since high school and it’s just kind of sad.”
Ben Watanabe can be reached at bgw@temple.edu.
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