NIU Linebacker Devon Butler Wounded In Shooting

by Matt Sussman on Apr 6, 2011 12:06 PM CDT

Via Red And Black Attack and Huskie Wire, a bit of scary news. Northern Illinois starting linebacker Devon Butler was shot last night/early this morning in DeKalb. All we know right now is that he is alive and two suspects are being held for questioning about it. RAB Attack's Mike Breese is calling the neighborhood "house party central," and every college town has one.

As a sophomore, Butler started 13 of NIU's 14 games at middle linebacker, anchoring a defense that gave up the fewest points in the conference (18.9/game). For this he was named third-team All MAC. He was second on the team in total tackles (80) and sacks (4.5), including 1.5 sacks against Fresno State in the Humanitarian Bowl. He also had a fumble recovery in the bowl game.

Let's hope for the best -- it's pretty much all we can do right now. Details of his condition are still a little murky. The Huskie Wire report says he had "possible life-threatening injuries" and was shot once but it's unknown where he was shot.

Update: So this is encouraging. NIU senior wide receiver Nathan Palmer wrote on Twitter "He's gonna be ok....just keep praying for him!!!"

Update 2: Huskie Wire updated their story saying that Butler is now in critical condition. Information is a fluid entity.

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