Western Michigan basketball player charged with murder

Western Michigan basketball player Joeviair Kennedy is set to be arraigned on Monday after prosecutors filed murder and armed robbery charges against the freshman guard for killing a fellow student last week.

19-year-old Jacob Jones was killed during a robbery where Kennedy stole money and cash, according to ESPN.com.

There were witnesses present during Jones’ murder.

Kennedy, a native of Muskegon, Michigan, was averaging 3.1 points and .9 rebounds in just under eight minutes per game this season. Kennedy has since been removed from the team’s website and was immediately suspended by the university after being named as the murder suspect.

“It’s a devastating tragedy for everybody involved,” Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins said in a statement. “Lives were changed forever. We’re very, very respectful of that. And we’re very shook by the whole thing.”

The university’s statement on the horrible incident can be read below:

“The University has learned that the victim of last night’s shooting was a WMU student. The WMU community is stunned by the realization that a promising life has been lost.  We extend our condolences to the family and commit to working with law enforcement officials to ensure that the responsible individuals are apprehended and that justice is served.”

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AP Top 25 College Basketball Rankings – Week 6
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