NEED TO KNOW
- New details have been released regarding the death of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland
- The 24-year-old player died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading police on a chase on Nov. 5
- Two days earlier, the second-year player scored his first NFL touchdown on Monday Night Football
More details have been released about what happened in the hours before the death of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.
Kneeland, 24, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near a vehicle he had crashed following a police chase north of Dallas in the early morning hours of Thursday, Nov. 6, authorities said.
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According to new information obtained by The Dallas Morning News, Kneeland’s body was found in a portable restroom near the intersection of Network Boulevard and Gaylord Parkway in Frisco, Texas. He was found not far from where his vehicle crashed in the southbound lanes of Dallas Parkway, and minutes from The Star, the Cowboys’ headquarters, the outlet reported.
Approximately three hours earlier, the Michigan native refused to comply after Texas DPS troopers attempted to pull him over for a traffic violation in Addison and then crashed into a pickup truck near the access lanes of the Dallas Tollway, Texas DPS spokesperson Josue De La Cerda told the newspaper.
The driver of the truck was not injured in the accident, De La Cerda said.
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A spokesperson for Texas DPS did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for additional details.
As authorities searched for Kneeland after discovering that he had abandoned his vehicle, word began to spread across multiple North Texas agencies that the athlete was in distress, PEOPLE previously reported.
Kneeland sent a “goodbye” text to his loved ones, and his girlfriend Catalina contacted police to report that he was armed and that he had a history of mental illness, according to police dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE.
A representative with the NFL called the Plano Police Department at the same time with similar information, PEOPLE reported.
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The second-year player — who scored his first NFL touchdown earlier in the week on Monday Night Football — was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
On Sunday, Nov. 9, teams honored Kneeland with a moment of silence across the country, and in Berlin, Germany, where the Indianapolis Colts took on the Atlanta Falcons, The Athletic reported.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
