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More Details Emerge Surrounding Death Of RB Ty Jordan

Following the tragic passing of Utah freshman running back Ty Jordan on Christmas night, new details have begun to emerge about the circumstances that led to Jordan's death

Ryan Kostecka

With the shock of Ty Jordan's death is now starting to wear off, questions surrounding the death of Jordan have begun to arise and answers are wanted.

Released on Monday, new details have emerged that are shedding light on the circumstances that led to Jordan's passing on Christmas night four days ago.

According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, Jordan died last Friday night from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. 

An incident occurred at an apartment at the 1100 block of Avenue B in Denton, Texas, where an initial call went out to police at 9:38 p.m. CT. The victim was then transported four miles to the Denton Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead at 10:46 p.m. CT.

It's unknown what led up to the shooting the but following a preliminary investigation, the Denton Police Department believe the gun “was accidentally discharged by the victim.” Denton PD has also repeatedly and adamantly said it will not identify the person who died Christmas night following the accidental shooting. 

The Tarrant County M.E. has not yet ruled on the official manner of death, which is expected to come in the next week or two. An incident report regarding the full details has not yet been made available, but it could take several days to process considering the weekends and holiday season. It's also unknown if the case is still open or closed, which could also cause a delay in the release of the incident report.

“Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said per a release. "Ty’s personality and smile were infectious and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us. He leaves an indelible mark on each of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts, all of us in the Utah Football Family want to say we love you Ty and may you rest in peace.”

While the Utah faithful continue to wait for the full release of information surrounding Jordan's death, they have done something that has captured the heart and soul of Jordan and the community.

A makeshift memorial has been created near the front door of the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center, home to Utah football's headquarters. Among items seen at the memorial are dozens of flowers, Jordan's picture and the hashtags #LLTJ (Long Live Ty Jordan) and #22 (Jordan's number in college). 

"We are deeply saddened and shocked to learn of Ty Jordan’s passing early this morning and our thoughts and prayers are with those who loved him dearly, including the young men in our football program," Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a press release. "Our priority is on supporting his family and the student-athletes, coaches and staff in our football program who are so deeply hurting right now. Coach Whittingham and I are working closely to provide support and resources for our Utah Football family in this extremely difficult time.”

This isn't the first time a memorial or remembrance has happened in Jordan's honor.

On Saturday night, the University of Utah lit the 'U' just 24 hours after Jordan passed away while at home in Texas for the holiday break. 

The lighting of the 'U' is symbolic in nature for Utah athletics, as it's usually done after one fo the athletic programs secures a victory during their respective season. But this time, it was meant as a way to honor Jordan, one of the top young college football players in the game.

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

He earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors after he finished the season with 597 rushing yards on 83 carries with six touchdowns, an average of 119.4 rushing yards per game that ranked ninth in the country and No. 1 among freshman.

Once finally taking over the starting role, Jordan averaged 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns per game in leading the Utes to victories over Oregon State, then-No. 21 Colorado and Washington State. That number rushing would've ranked third in the nation and second in the Pac-12.

In just a shortened season with an ever shorter preparation and build up, Jordan showed why he was the next in line to be one of Utah's great running backs. More than that though, he showed why is he was recruited to Utah as his personality and smile always shone brightest.

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