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Pair of teenagers arrested for allegedly shooting Ohio State wrestler Sammy Sasso

Sammy Sasso underwent two surgeries and spent three days in the ICU after the shooting

ryan young
Staff writer
·2 min read
438

A pair of teenagers were arrested this week for allegedly shooting and robbing Ohio State wrestler Sammy Sasso earlier this month.

A 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were arrested Monday and charged with aggravated robbery and felonious assault, among other things, in connection with the shooting, according to WBNS.

The two suspects allegedly tried to steal Sasso’s car near Ohio State’s campus on Aug. 18. They allegedly came up to Sasso’s car after he stopped and got out of it, demanded he give it to them and then shot him.

The suspects then fled the scene, and Sasso was found later in an alley. His family said he was shot in the abdomen, and underwent multiple surgeries to repair his colon and remove the bullet near his spine. He spent three days in the intensive care unit.

Sasso is currently unable to walk, but doctors are “hopeful he will make a full recovery,” his family wrote on a GoFundMe page.

Two-time All-American Sammy Sasso was shot during an attempted robbery near Ohio State’s campus earlier this month.
Two-time All-American Sammy Sasso was shot during an attempted robbery near Ohio State’s campus earlier this month. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

One of the teenagers allegedly involved had 11 warrants out for her arrest, per the report. The other had been released from the Department of Youth Services just five days before the shooting. They are due in court Sept. 5.

“Everyday it gets better for him," Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said, via FloWrestling. "He’s healing. He’s going to live, which was the number one concern. And now it's about getting him back to the place where he can wrestle.

"Sammy is a very determined person. He loves wrestling as much as anybody I've ever been around, and it’s kind of etched in his soul, the sport of wrestling. The big dream for him right now is just to get back to where he can wrestle. It will take some time, but his will is unbelievably strong."

Sasso is a four-time All-American and two-time Big Ten champion at Ohio State. The 149-pound wrestler was the NCAA runner-up in 2021 and 2023.