Ex-USC Running Back Joe McKnight Killed in Louisiana Shooting

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Former USC running back and NFL player Joe McKnight was fatally shot Thursday afternoon in New Orleans, the school's athletics department announced.

McKnight, 28, was shot multiple times at about 2:45 p.m. Central Standard Time in Terrytown, Louisiana, and was pronounced dead at the scene, said Col. John Fortunato of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.

The shooting happened at the intersection of Behrman Highway and Holmes Boulevard following an argument, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office told the The Times-Picayune.

The shooting was being investigated as a possible road rage incident. A man identified as 54-year-old Ronald Gasser was taken into custody for questioning, Fortunato said.

A witness told The Times-Picayune that she left a store and saw a man in an intersection yelling at another man who was trying to apologize. The man who was yelling opened fire, at one point standing over the victim and firing again, said the witness, who declined to give her name.

There was no indication that McKnight had a gun, though a search of his vehicle was pending, according to The Times-Picayune.

He played for USC from 2007 to 2010 and was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. McKnight played for the Jets for three seasons.

He missed the 2013 season after being released by the Jets, then played an injury-shortened season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. He played this year for the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

It "Saddens me to hear the news about Joe McKnight," current USC coach Clay Helton said in a tweet. "Our prayers go out to the McKnight family."

USC Athletic Department said it was "deeply saddened" to learn of McKnight's Death.

"Joe was an outstanding tailback whose play excited fans throughout his USC career," USC said in a statement to Patch. "We extend our thoughts and prayers to his family during this difficult time.”

Pete Carroll, McKnight's coach at USC, who now coaches the NFL's Seattle Seahawks was also affected by the news.

"This is a terrible tragedy," Carroll tweeted. "Everyone loved Joe and we are going to really miss him."

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo credit Jeffrey Beall/Wiki Commons