Teammate reacts to shooting death of USM football player

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WLBT) – Those who were close to Marcus Daniels, on and off the field, say they are devastated after hearing the tragic news.

Tuesday night, Southern Miss starting football player Marcus “MJ” Daniels, 21, was shot and killed at the Ivy Row housing complex in Hattiesburg.

[READ: USM football player killed in overnight shooting; investigation ongoing]

The University of Southern Mississippi released the following statement after receiving the discouraging news.

Today, relatives hope that the investigation will lead to an arrest which will allow them, as well as the victim's family, to turn the page.

“Hearing the news that he’s no longer here with us breaks my heart,” said Matt Jones, a teammate of Daniels’ when the late player was at Ole Miss. “I heard the news around 1:30 or 2 a.m. [on Wednesday]. I was definitely at a loss for words because MJ was such an inspiration on and off the field.

Hattiesburg police are still investigating to determine who shot and killed the 21-year-old.

Meanwhile, his former teammates remember the soccer star as an extraordinary person and friend.

“He always kept a smile on his face. It’s so hard to talk about since all this happened,” Jones said.

Daniels was a native of Geroge County, Mississippi. He played his freshman season at Southern Miss last fall before leaving Ole Miss.

Jones said his friend had a bright future ahead of him.

“MJ most certainly had a bright future. I think he was on his way to the National Football League. He ended up becoming a cornerback for Southern Miss. The sky was the limit for him. He could literally play offense and defense.

Daniels' body was sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy.

So far, no arrests have been made for this crime.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Hattiesburg Police Department or Crimes Stoppers.

USM head coach Will Hall released the following statement in memory of the late star.

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