Antelope Valley College Football Player Fatally Shot at Party

An Antelope Valley College football player who wanted to “make it in life” was shot and killed at a party in Norwalk and one of his teammates was wounded, authorities said Monday.

Kevin Jerron Morris, 20, a defensive back for the Antelope Valley team, was shot in the upper torso just before 1 a.m. Sunday, and Jerome Wright, 21, a wide receiver, was wounded in the left arm, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.

Wright, Morris and several Antelope Valley teammates arrived at a party in the 13100 block of Crossdale Avenue around midnight, the Sheriff’s Department said.

When racial tension escalated between the players, who are black, and a group of Latinos, the host broke up the party, deputies said. As guests were leaving, a fight started.

Sheriff’s detectives described the gunman as a Latino, 5 feet 8, with a shaved head, wearing a white shirt and blue pants.

He fired at least six rounds before fleeing in a green Ford Explorer. He may belong to a local gang, investigators said.

Morris and Wright played football at Highland High School in Palmdale, where they won all-league honors. Morris also played basketball and ran track.

Returning for their second season at Antelope Valley College, the young men were to report for a team meeting this morning.

Head football coach Brent Carder said Morris’ death and Wright’s injuries were devastating to the close-knit team, whose roster this season includes 18 returning players. Morris, who began playing for Antelope Valley as a running back, was a hard worker, he said.

“You can put another player at any position, but you can’t replace the person Kevin Morris was,” Carder said in a statement released by the college.

Wright “has always been a courageous player, and we are hoping that his courage will pull him through this tragic situation,” Carder said.

Grief counselors were available on campus Monday and will be with the players and coaches when they meet today for the season’s official start.

“The coaches are adamant that the team is going to have to work through this as a team,” said Glenn Haller, spokesman for the college’s athletic department.

Classes at the Lancaster campus will begin next week.

Morris, a native of Panorama City who was majoring in history, indicated when he was a high school senior that he wanted “just to be able to make it in life.”

In a form he provided to The Times, he listed professional baseball player Troy O’Leary of the Boston Red Sox as a relative.

Last season, Wright, a fire science major, broke the college’s 22-year record for receptions in a season.

He made 46 catches, five short of the Antelope Valley career record.