Jeremy Fears Jr., a basketball player for Michigan State University, was shot on Saturday while visiting his hometown of Joliet, Illinois.
According to Yahoo Sports, Fears suffered a non-life-threatening leg injury after being shot. In response to the shooting, the Joliet Police Department issued a statement, as Breitbart News reported.
The statement said, “On December 23, 2023, at 3:44 AM, Officers responded to a residence in the 300 block of St. Jude Avenue for two people inside the home that had been shot."
"Upon arrival, Officers located a 19-year-old female who had sustained a gunshot wound to the pelvis and an 18-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the left thigh.”
Fears, who is the 18-years-old and a known rising star in the world of college basketball, was shot in the thigh.
The Joliet Police Department’s statement continued, saying "A preliminary investigation of this shooting determined that both victims were inside the residence with others, at which time it is believed that a male suspect armed with a handgun entered the residence through the front door and began firing inside the residence, striking both victims.
"The suspect then ran from the residence. Both shooting victims were transported to Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center by the Joliet Fire Department in stable condition."
Although Fears was not named in the police statement, an ESPN source has confirmed that it matches the incident details.
Additional details indicated that the player and a 19-year-old woman were at a local home with friends at the time of the shooting.
The school announced that Fears had a successful surgery on Saturday, and his father took to social media on Sunday to announce that he had been discharged from the hospital.
"Jeremy underwent surgery this morning and is resting comfortably," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "While there is much we still don't know, my focus is on supporting Jeremy on his road to recovery."
Fears, a promising freshman in the 2023 class, has been bringing an average of 3.5 points per game this season. In a statement on Saturday, Izzo expressed his commitment to providing ongoing support to Fears during his recovery process. Michigan State is set to face Indiana State in East Lansing on Dec. 30.
On his Instagram story Saturday, Fears wrote: "Minor setback we gone be good appreciate yall."
The investigation is ongoing and no suspect has been identified, according to the Joliet police, and it is as yet unknown whether the victims were the intended targets.
