Budding star basketball player killed in late night N.C. shooting at pool party

A budding teenage star basketball player was killed by gunfire during a summer party at a North Carolina apartment complex, leaving his former teammates and the entire community stunned.

Sixteen-year-old Ashton Foxx, a star member of the Fayetteville (N.C.) Westover High boys basketball team, was killed after he was shot following an argument at a Wednesday night party. According to reports from the Fayetteville Observer and Raleigh-Durham ABC affiliate WTVD, Foxx and 23-year-old Tabari Ali Hashim had become engaged in a loud argument at a party that was taking place at the pool at the Reserve at Carrington Apartment Complex when Hashim pulled out a handgun and shot the teenager.

Foxx was transported to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, but died shortly thereafter.

Foxx was to be a junior at Westover in the coming school year, and had already firmly placed his stamp on the school’s athletic program. Despite averaging just 4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore, the 6-foot-6 power forward was a versatile threat and was considered one of Westover’s more likely candidates to be a future college scholarship signee.

Nicknamed Moose, Foxx was powerful inside with a soft touch with mid-range jumpers, making him a versatile threat and a potential transitional player at the collegiate level.

Now that has all been taken away because of a hasty reaction to a late night argument.

"I feel blessed to have known and coached Ashton," Westover basketball coach George Stackhouse said in a statement to the media. "His personality was infectious. He was honest, loyal and thoughtful. He was liked by those who knew him and loved by us that knew him well. He was like a son to me and a brother to his teammates. We will miss him dearly."

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