UAB freshman linebacker Allen Merrick has died after suffering a gunshot wound during a visit to his home on Thursday. Police in Gadsden, Alabama, call the incident a random shooting. Merrick died Friday morning at UAB Hospital. He was 19 years old.
Blazers coach Bill Clark issued a statement Thursday after Merrick was shot and hospitalized.
“Please pray for the family of Allen Merrick, a young man who joined our UAB Football Family this season. Allen was visiting Gadsden yesterday when he had gunshot wounds,” Clark said. “He’s in the UAB hospital, where I’ve been with Allen’s family, but I have no condition I can share at the moment. I’d ask everyone to respect his family’s privacy and put them all in keep your prayers. “
Other details of the incident have not yet been released.
Merrick and part of the Blazers’ 2020 recruiting class. He was a standout athlete at Gadsden City High School and received offers from other programs such as Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue and Tennessee. He played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and was named Gadsden City Defensive Player of the Year.
