D.J. Hayden, a former defensive back and first-round NFL draft pick, was among six persons murdered early Saturday morning in Houston when a car ran a red light and collided with another vehicle.
In a statement to CNN, the University of Houston confirmed that, in addition to Hayden, former Cougars players Zachary McMillian and Ralph Oragwu were killed in the collision. Hayden’s death was also confirmed by the Las Vegas Raiders, one of his former teams, in a message on X, the social networking platform formerly known as Twitter.
Around 2 a.m., Houston Police officers went to a “major crash” near Fannin and Pierce streets, Assistant Chief Megan Howard said in a news conference.
The six victims were five men and one woman, and four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Howard said.
A black Acura SUV was driving southbound on Fannin Street and, during a green light, was going through the intersection at Pierce Street when a black Chrysler 300 traveling at “a high rate of speed” ran a red light and struck the Acura, police said in a news release.
“The impact caused multiple persons in the vehicles to be ejected,” the release stated.
Police said three people in the Acura may have been ejected, two of whom died at the scene, according to the release.
A third victim, who was fatally struck when the Chrysler left the roadway and went onto the sidewalk, was believed to be homeless, officials said in the release.
According to investigators, the fourth person who died at the scene was the driver of the at-fault Chrysler.
According to Howard, police are unsure who was driving the Acura, which will be determined throughout the inquiry.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Hayden was among those in the Acura. The Houston Police Department refused to corroborate the report to CNN on Saturday.
During the news conference, Howard stated that four more people were taken to the hospital, two of whom later died.
According to Howard, a woman was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
