Police have concluded that former Southern Methodist...

Police have concluded that former Southern Methodist University running back Jeff Atkins was not the intended victim of a shooting that killed a man who was driving the athlete’s sports car, authorities in Dallas said.

“There was no evidence that someone was trying to kill Atkins,” police said after investigators questioned Atkins about the death of David Simpson, 31, of Dallas.

Police said an undetermined number of assailants raked the driver’s side of Atkins’ sports car with gunfire as Simpson drove the vehicle into the parking lot of an apartment complex where he worked shortly before 9 p.m. last Friday.

Police determined the car belonged to Atkins shortly after the shooting but spent the weekend trying to find him. When they did, they learned that Atkins had loaned the car to another man who, in turn, had loaned it to Simpson.

No motive for the shooting was known.