Former Michigan State Basketball Player Arrested After Fatal Shooting

Former Michigan State basketball player Keith Appling was arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in Detroit this past weekend, according to ESPN. Appling was arrested by the Michigan State Police in Chelsea, Michigan on Monday. Officers found a firearm during the arrest, state police said.

Police also said that Appling and a 66-year-old unidentified man got into an argument Saturday evening that escalated into a fight. Appling, 29, is accused of firing several shots, fatally wounding the man and driving away from the scene. In February 2020, Appling faced drug charges and was sentenced to 18 months probation. He was sentenced to a year in jail back in 2017 for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting police.

Appling was a member of Michigan State’s basketball team from 2010-2014. In his final season with the Spartans, Appling appeared in 35 games and averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 assists and three rebounds per game, according to his bio. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo visited Appling in jail back in 2017 and discussed the meeting with the Detroit Free Press.

“It was good to see him,” Izzo said. “I think he has a whole different perspective. … “I’m really glad I went. And I’m going to have the ability to go back a few times now that I went and I met the right people. I couldn’t get in and I had tried to get in one other time. … The sheriff who let me in, the guy was good. He said he has compassion and prick in him, and that’s two good things to have. He told (Appling) right in front of me, ‘Two times is a problem, three times is this (jail).’ I think he’ll turn it around, I really do.”

At that time, Appling said he was looking to turn his life around. “I know I’ve made some mistakes,” Appling said during his sentencing hearing. “But I definitely learned from them, and I’m just ready to get my life back on track.” Appling played high school basketball at Pershing High School in Detroit. In his senior year, Appling was named Mr. Basketball of Michigan and selected to play in the 2010 McDonald’s All-American game where he scored 10 points.