USF OL Benjamin Knox arrested for shooting at exterior of dorm building
A USF football player is facing gun charges after a weekend incident.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, offensive lineman Benjamin Knox was charged with “possessing or discharging a firearm” and “shooting into an occupied dwelling” after USF police said he shot at the outside of the student dormitory where he lives on Sunday morning.
The alleged incident took place around 4 a.m. Sunday morning. Knox was arrested later that day.
From the Times:
Early Sunday morning, at about 4 a.m., a campus police officer heard gunshots on the north-central part of campus, near the Marshall Student Center. A student also called in a report of gunshots, followed by the sound of screeching tires.
Officers didn't find anyone at the parking garage, but when they searched it floor by floor, they came across a parked vehicle that held an open gun case and a box of .45-caliber ammunition "within plain sight."
They also found spent shell casings next to the car "where it appeared that several random shots were fired from a handgun," a USF police news release said.
Police said the shots fired took “chunks” out of the outside of Holly D residence hall. USF assistant police chief Chris Daniel said the shots appeared to be “random.”
“It doesn’t look like they were well-placed shots,” Daniel told the Times. “It looks like random squeezing of the trigger, and where they went, they went.”
The police traced the gun back to Knox since he was the owner of the vehicle that contained the ammunition.
Police traced the car to Knox, its owner. They approached him in his dorm room and recovered the .45-caliber handgun they said was used in the shooting. They took Knox into custody and transported him to the Hillsborough County jail for processing.
Knox, a redshirt freshman, has been indefinitely suspended from the team.
"We are in the process of gathering more information on the matter and are working with the proper authorities," said an athletic department statement. "This type of behavior is not consistent with the values of our institution and will not be tolerated."
The 6-foot-6, 291-pound Knox has appeared in all five games for the Bulls this season, including Saturday’s 45-24 home win over Syracuse.
For more USF news, visit RunningTheBulls.com.
- - - - - - -
Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
