FORMER BUFFS PLAYER DIES AFTER PARKING DISPUTE
T.J. Cunningham, an assistant principal in Aurora, suffered gunshot wounds Sunday in a disturbance with a neighbor.
Anthony “T.J.” Cunningham, an assistant principal at Aurora’s Hinkley High School and a former CU Buffs football player, has died after suffering gunshot wounds Sunday during a dispute with a neighbor over a parking spot.
The former Seattle Seahawks football player was transported to Parker Adventist Hospital following the shooting but died Monday afternoon, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to reports of a shooting near Eaglecrest High School and Thunder Ridge Middle School in Aurora on Sunday where they found Cunningham, 46.
Cunningham was shot multiple times, Arapahoe sheriff’s spokeswoman Deborah Sherman said.
The sheriff’s office arrested 31year-old Marcus Johnson on Sunday on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder. The sheriff’s office said the suspect will now face a first-degree murder charge.
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect told investigators that his neighbor who lives across the street from him had attacked him earlier in the day.
Sherman said the two met near Eaglecrest High School to settle their dispute over a parking spot. The suspect brought a gun, she said, and it was later recovered.
Cunningham, who attended Overland High School in Aurora, played wide receiver and defensive back at the University of Colorado from 1992 to 1995 and was the No. 209 overall pick (sixth round) in the 1996 NFL draft by Seattle.
He was part of four bowl teams with CU and had 21 career receptions for 239 yards as a receiver before switching to defensive back in 1995.
He appeared in nine games with the Seahawks in 1996 with one fumble recovery.
University of Colorado Athletic Director Rick George called Cunningham a “good family man” who “had a strong passion for working with young people as evidenced by serving as an assistant high school principal.”
“He was also a good alum, an active alum and took great pride in being a Colorado Buffalo,” he said in the statement. “Our hearts go out to TJ’s family on their tragic loss. We will miss him.”