Marshawn Kneeland, (Dallas Cowboys photo)
Grand Rapids native Marshawn Kneeland, 24, who played football for the Western Michigan University Broncos from 2019 to 2023 and was a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, died Thursday in Texas from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police chase.
A press release said that Frisco police, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in searching for Kneeland, who had refused to stop for a traffic violation around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
After losing sight of his car for several minutes, police found that Kneeland had crashed in the southbound lanes of the Dallas Parkway.
He then fled on foot, triggering a search that included drones and a K-9 unit, the Frisco police press release said.
During the search, police received word that Kneeland had expressed suicidal thoughts.
Around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, authorities found him with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Associated Press reports:
As authorities were looking for Kneeland, a dispatcher told officers that people who knew him had received a group text from Kneeland “saying goodbye. They’re concerned for his welfare,” according to recordings from Broadcastify, which archives public safety radio feeds.
“We’re talking to the girlfriend. She’s trying to call his agent. But we’re trying to get her to call him first. But she’s saying he is armed and has a history of mental illness. And her quote was, ‘He will end it all,’” another dispatcher told officers.