Utah star Ty Jordan, 19, dies in apparent 'accidental shooting': reports

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University of Utah star running back Ty Jordan died in Texas on Friday night in what police are calling an "accidental shooting," according to multiple reports. He was 19.

Denton police said in a news release that the victim accidentally discharged the weapon.

"Officers responded to a shooting call and located a single gunshot victim, who was transported to a local hospital," police said. "Following a preliminary investigation, it is believed the gun was accidentally discharged by the victim."

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Police did not identify the victim. The university announced that Jordan had died Saturday morning. The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News were among the outlets to identify Jordan as the victim.

The details behind the accidental shooting remain scarce.

"Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement.

"Ty's personality and smile were infectious. and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us. He leaves an indelible mark on each of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.  From the bottom of our hearts, all of us in the Utah Football Family want to say, 'We love you Ty and may you rest in peace.'"

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Utah athletic director Mark Harlan added: "We are deeply saddened and shocked to learn of Ty Jordan's passing early this morning and our thoughts and prayers are with those who loved him dearly, including the young men in our football program. Our priority is on supporting his family and the student-athletes, coaches and staff in our football program who are so deeply hurting right now. Coach Whittingham and I are working closely to provide support and resources for our Utah football family in this extremely difficult time."

Jordan was coming off a dominating season in spite of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

He was named All-Pac-12 Team and the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. He was the first freshman to rack up three straight 100-yard rushing games since 1995.

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He finished the season with 597 rushing yards and six touchdowns.