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June 21 (UPI) -- The man who was killed in a mass shooting in a section of New York City this week was a star player for Houston Baptist University's basketball team, who was visiting his hometown during the off-season, the school announced. The shooter opened fire early on Monday at a gathering in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. One person was killed and eight others were injured.
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Houston Baptist University said the man who died was 21-year-old Darius Lee, a star player for the school's basketball team.
Authorities told reporters that Lee was attending a barbecue there when the gunfire began.
"This Father's Day weekend is a weekend where people were supposed to be able to enjoy themselves with their families," New York City Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference.
"The loss of anyone in the HBU family is a cause for grief, but it's especially painful when we see the death of a student, particularly when so much promise is cut off in such a violent, senseless way," HBU President Robert Sloan said in a statement.
"We are devastated," HBU men's head basketball coach Ron Cottrell said in a statement. "Darius was a remarkable young man who loved the Lord, his mom, his family, his teammates, his friends and his entire HBU family."
Police have not yet indicated a motive for the shooting and no arrests have been made.
Lee finished the basketball season in March and had been visiting Harlem, his hometown, during the off-season. He played basketball at St. Raymond High School for Boys in the Bronx and was scheduled to graduate from Houston Baptist University in December. He'd hoped to play basketball professionally after his college days were over.
Lee scored 52 points during a game in March that went into four overtime periods, setting the university's single-game scoring record. He was recently named the HBU Robbie Robertson Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
Houston Baptist University is a private school located in east Texas with about 4,100 students.
