NFL star Davante Adams' cousin shot dead in California shooting
Davante Adams' cousin, Ralph Fields Jr., was shot dead in California on Tuesday. Fields was identified as the victim fatally shot in East Palo Alto.
In a report by NBC Bay Area, authorities responded to a ShotSpotter activation in East Palo Alto Tuesday evening. The report states:
"On Tuesday at 6:02 p.m., officers with the East Palo Alto Police Department responded to a ShotSpotter activation at Jack Farrell Park in the 2500 block of Fordham Street.”
The shooting took place as many families were practicing for a youth softball tournament. A girl who happened to be recording a video on a cellphone caught the sound of over 30 shots being fired.
WARNING DISTURBING VIDEO: A girl playing tag at an East Palo Alto park captured the chilling and terrifying moments when a gun battle began. One man, identified as the cousin of Raiders star Davante Adams, was killed while three others were hurt. abc7ne.ws/3FWmAmN https://t.co/aBsppSruz7
There were more than 30 children at the park when the shooting transpired. Faauuga Talamo, a relative of one of the children, said many of the kids were crying, clearly traumatized by the magnitude of the event:
"Some of them would cry. I guess they didn’t expect anything like this to happen. It was a scary feeling for them."
Three other victims identified in the shooting were considered "targeted" by the on-scene authorities. Fields Jr. passed away due to gunshot wounds while being transported to the hospital. The two other victims were also taken to the hospital for medical attention.
The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office Bureau of Investigation has a record of Adams' cousin after facing "charges of negligent discharge of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm."
BREAKING: The victim from last nights deadly shooting in East Palo Alto is #NFL star Devante Adams’ cousin.
Ralph Fields was shot and killed near a playground, three others were injured. https://t.co/UKG8i5v3rN
Investigators stated that it seems that the shooting was a targeted attack and not a random act. Interim East Palo Alto police Chief Jeff Liu noted that the area will have a greater police presence:
"We’ve already stepped up our presence in the area with extra patrols."
Adams was born in Redwood City, a couple of miles west of Jack Farrell Park, and went to Palo Alto High School.
Davante Adams and his career
The five-time Pro Bowl wideout played the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. While with the Packers, he accumulated 8,121 receiving yards, 669 receptions, and 73 touchdowns.
This offseason, he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. He later signed a five-year, $140 million-dollar contract with the Raiders, including a $19,250,000 signing bonus, $65,670,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $28 million.
Thoughts and prayers go out to Adams and the Fields family for their loss.