Athlete Shot; Teammate Jailed : Oklahoma Lineman Wounded During Argument

A University of Oklahoma football player is in custody today and a teammate is hospitalized after an early-morning shooting in the athletic dormitory, a university spokeswoman says.

Jerry Parks, 20, a defensive back for the Sooners, was charged with shooting with intent to injure, said Cleveland County Dist. Atty. Tully McCoy. The charge is a felony that carries punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

University spokeswoman Catherine Bishop said lineman Zarak Peters was wounded in the early-morning shooting.

After learning of the shooting, football Coach Barry Switzer suspended Parks from the football program, and Vice President for Student Affairs Anona Adair suspended Parks from the university, according to a statement released by the university.

A spokeswoman at Norman Regional Hospital said the wound was to Peters’ left chest. The bullet is lodged in his rib, said hospital spokeswoman Paula Bowles. At this point, doctors do not plan to remove the bullet, she said. He was in stable condition.

Parks was booked into the Cleveland County Detention Center on a complaint of assault with a dangerous weapon, Bishop said. He was scheduled to appear before a judge this afternoon, a jail spokeswoman said.

According to the university’s statement, the two students, who attended high school together in Houston, were arguing in the athletic dorm early this morning.

“Following the altercation, Parks left the athletic dorm and retrieved a .22-caliber revolver from a vehicle parked outside,” the statement said. “He returned to Peters’ room in the athletic dorm where the shooting took place.”

University officials said the reason for the argument was unclear.

The campus Police Department was notified of the shooting at 1:29 a.m., university officials said.

Peters and Parks were teammates at Willowridge High School in the Houston area.