LYNCHBURG, Va. — A former standout high school football player in West Virginia died from gunshot wounds after an incident in Lynchburg, Virginia.
According to police, Tyler Harris, 25, was identified as the victim shot multiple times in his apartment Wednesday. Harris later died at a Lynchburg-area hospital. Police have charged a man in the shooting. Asa Hogue, 35, of Lynchburg, who reportedly turned himself in.
Harris led the South Charleston Black Eagles to back to back AAA football state championships in 2008 and 2009. He won the Kennedy Award for the state’s top high school football player after his junior season in 2009.
Current Black Eagles coach Donnie Mays, who was the offensive coordinator when Harris played, responded to the death on Facebook:
“I had the honor and privilege of coaching one of the greatest high school football players in the state of West Virginia in Tyler Harris. He was by far the toughest, most hard-nosed, win-at-all cost players I have ever been around. Our relationship was special and we continued this long after his high school years. We’d check in on each other fairly often and wish each other the best of luck in our endeavors and Tyler would always give words of wisdom to whomever the new SC QB was at the moment and wanted me to share his thoughts. To this day, Tyler Harris stories in the coaches office make us laugh with his contagious sense of humor, give us chill bumps while remembering the special plays he made on the field, or now make us cry at the thought of losing someone we loved. I’m truly at a loss for words as I sit here typing this. I pray for Jay and the family. We love you and you will be missed!”