Dejean-Jones pictured while he played for Iowa State. (Getty)
A star with the New Orleans Pelicans was shot dead after he broke into a home in Dallas, Texas, according to police. The Des Moines Register reports that Bryce Dejean-Jones died early on the morning of May 28. The newspaper, citing a source with the Dallas Police Department, reports that Dejean-Jones broke into the home of his killer and was shot dead by the “resident” of home. It has emerged that Dejean-Jones kicked the door town to an apartment that he thought belonged to his girlfriend. The couple had a fight prior to the shooting, Dejean-Jones had gone outside for a walk and when he returned, forgot where she lived and tried to gain access to the wrong apartment.
Quiet day, new residents moving into apts hours after NBA player killed here in shooting @FOX4
The incident occurred on the 2500 block of Bennett Avenue in Dallas. WFAA reports that the apartment building where the shooting took place is known as Camden Belmont. The station adds that his girlfriend lives in the building.
It was Fox Dallas’ Justin Waldrop who first reported that Dejean-Jones was breaking into the wrong apartment.
He was 23 years old.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News reports that Dejean-Jones made it outside the house after being shot and passed out on the breezeway.
In a statement his agent, Scott Nichols, said, “Bryce overcame a lot of obstacles to get to this point in his career. He was a joy to be around, a talent just turning the corner in his career.”
A feature on Dejean-Jones, that was published on Pelican Debrief less than a week before his death, noted how much the guard had matured. That piece mentions him playing for multiple schools during his college years and the “altercations” he got involved with while he played for the University of Las Vegas.
When he was with Iowa State in 2014, Dejean-Jones was arrested and accused hosting weed parties. The charges were later dropped.
Unlike many of his fellow NBA players, Dejean-Jones was not active on Twitter, his last tweet came on March 3. Meanwhile on Instagram, his last post was this video that came three days before the shooting:
Dejean-Jones is survived by his parents, six siblings and his daughter, Ally Cymone Faith Dejean-Jones. One of his final Instagram posts was a video of his young child:
Dejean-Jones was one of the lowest paid players in the NBA, taking home around $170,000 per year.