JACKSONVILLE, Fla. β€” Former University of Central Florida running back Otis Anderson Jr. was fatally shot during an altercation with his father, authorities said Tuesday.

His mother was also wounded in the shooting, investigators said.


What You Need To Know

  • Former UCF running back Otis Anderson Jr. was shot to death Monday during an altercation with his father, police say

  • Former teammates are expressing grief and paying Anderson tribute

  • 'Heartbroken is an understatement,' quarterback McKenzie Milton tweeted

  • Anderson's father faces second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder charges

Anderson Jr., 23, was killed late Monday during the argument with his father, Otis Anderson Sr., at his parents' home in Jacksonville, according to a partially redacted arrest report released by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

According to the report, a fight started after the former running back's father was bit by a dog belonging to Anderson's girlfriend.

Anderson and his 52-year-old father got into a verbal altercation while his mother urged him to go back upstairs, investigators said.

Once he left, Anderson's father and mother than began arguing and the senior Anderson flipped over a recliner, causing Anderson to come back downstairs to check on his mother's well-being, according to the arrest report.

Anderson then began arguing with his father again. The part of the report describing the shooting was blacked out, but said Anderson had a gunshot wound to his chest and back. Anderson's mother, Denise, was treated for graze wounds at a hospital, the report said.

Anderson's father is facing charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, according to the Sheriff's Office.

It was not immediately known if Otis Anderson Sr. had a lawyer who could comment for him.

Current and former players and staff showed up at UCF's football stadium Tuesday to share their grief.

Current UCF coach Gus Malzahn, who arrived after Anderson had graduated, expressed his appreciation for Anderson, too.

Anderson's former teammates turned to social media to express their sadness and shock and to pay tribute to the teammate they fondly called "Juice."

Florida State University quarterback McKenzie Milton β€” who was the captain of UCF's football team during Anderson's tenure and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to him during the Knights' victory against Auburn in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1, 2018 β€” was among the first to react.

Former UCF defensive back Tay Gowan, expressed his disbelief.

Anderson played running back for UCF from 2017 to 2020, and also caught passes and returned punts. He had 3,708 all-purpose yards and 27 touchdowns, the eighth-highest in the school's record books, as one of the core players who helped lead UCF during its resurgence under coaches Scott Frost and Josh Heupel.

Heupel, the current Tennessee football coach, said he was  "saddened and stunned" by Anderson's death.

 

Before coming to UCF, Anderson starred at Jacksonville University Christian, leading the school to back-to-back Class 2A state championships in 2015 and 2016.

He graduated from UCF with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and after graduation signed with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, where he spent time on the team's practice squad.