A Washington State University football player took a bullet during a chaotic off-campus party early Sunday morning, right after the heated Apple Cup rivalry game against the University of Washington.
Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Sone Falealo got shot in the abdomen amid a fight at the Aspen Heights Apartments in Pullman, Washington. He’s now recovering in the hospital after surgery, and luckily, the bullet missed all his organs. The shooting happened around 1:47 a.m., and first responders rushed him to Pullman Regional Hospital.
Police quickly zeroed in on 20-year-old University of Washington student Jakori Cezon Buchanan as the suspect. A judge approved a felony arrest warrant for first-degree and fourth-degree assault charges. As of Monday, Buchanan was still on the run, and authorities noted he was driving a rental car when he fled the scene.
Court papers paint a picture of a rowdy party that spiraled out of control. Organizers called on Falealo and his WSU teammates, Jaylin Caldwell and Xavier Thorpe, to help keep things calm after noise complaints rolled in. Witnesses told police Buchanan had been stirring up trouble all night.
One woman said Buchanan tried to punch her in the face but missed and hit her chest instead. When he swung again, she fought back, drawing the three football players into the mix to break it up. Things escalated outside, where surveillance video shows Falealo pushing Buchanan to the ground during another scuffle.
That’s when a friend of Buchanan’s jumped in, and Buchanan allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband. He fired one shot, hitting Falealo. Police stressed that everyone involved at the party—including Falealo, Caldwell, and Thorpe—has no prior criminal record and is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Falealo, originally from Alaska, kicked off his college football journey at the University of Idaho, where he sat out his true freshman year. He transferred to WSU over the offseason but hasn’t suited up for a game with the Cougars yet.
This WSU football player shooting incident has shocked the Pullman community, especially coming on the heels of the big Apple Cup matchup. Stay tuned for updates as police hunt for the UW student suspect.
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