NFL Player Zurlon Tipton Dead at 26

Former NFL player Zurlon Tipton died Tuesday, after accidentally shooting himself at a car dealership in Roseville, Michigan.

According to authorities, the 26-year-old pulled into a service bay at a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership around 9:30 a.m. He was reportedly reaching for a duffel bag, which contained two guns inside, when one of the guns unexpectedly went off, The Detroit News details.

“A gentleman … brought a vehicle into our service department between 9 and 9:30 this morning,” Mark DeMara, general manager of the dealership, confirmed with The Detroit News. “He had a transmission leak in his vehicle. At some point he reached into a duffel bag that was on the passenger seat of his vehicle and the pistol that was in there deployed and shot the gentleman in the abdomen.”

WJBK reports that Tipton was speaking with people on the scene, however, he succumbed to his grave injuries at a local hospital.

Tipon is from Sterling Heights, Michigan, and played football for Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The running back was undrafted but later became signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2014.

He was waived at the end of last season after playing 16 games for the pro team spanning two years.

Our sincere prayers are with his family and friends.

Story by Julianne Cassidy of Womanista.