Alabama police hunt off-campus party shooter

Auburn, Ala., United States (4E) – The hunt for a man suspected to have killed three men and wounded three others in an apartment complex shooting entered its second day Monday.

Auburn police believe Desmonte Leonard, 22, shot dead two former Auburn University football players and another man during a party at the University Heights apartment clubhouse about 10 p.m. Saturday. He fled the scene in a car, together with two suspected accomplices, after the shooting.

Police identified the fatalities as Edward Christian, 20, of Valdosta, Ga.; Ladarious Phillips, 20; and Demario Pitts, 20, of Auburn. Christian was found dead at the scene while the two others died at a hospital.

Auburn sophomore offensive lineman Eric Mack, 20, of Cameron, S.C., and Xavier Moss, 19, were treated for gunshot wounds at the East Alabama Medical Center in the nearby town of Opelika. John Robertson, 20, was treated for a gunshot wound in the head at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.

The FBI has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Leonard. U.S. Marshals also offered a $5,000 reward.

Police are not disclosing the motive for the shooting. Witnesses were quoted in media reports as saying that the shooting was sparked by an altercation over a woman.

Leonard’s criminal background includes theft charges in 2008 and carrying a gun without a permit in 2009. He was never prosecuted.

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