Anthony Soot, brother of the Montez Suite defensive team, was shot dead Tuesday afternoon near Richmond, Virginia, police said Wednesday.
He was 27 years old.
Police said they received a call regarding a shooting around 4:09 p.m. Tuesday, and that other people in the area had dispersed. Anthony’s death was announced at the scene. It is not clear what led to the shooting.
The race was not in training with Washington on Wednesday. Anthony’s death comes months after their mother passed away earlier this year.
“It’s tough, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said, via ESPN. “When we’re here at the facility, we try to make sure the players understand that we’re here for them.”
This incident is the second related death to hit the team in recent days. The safety of Washington Disor Everett is involved in a single car crash outside Washington on Christmas Eve. The car he was driving got off the road and crashed into several trees before overturning. The 29-year-old passenger was killed. Everett was hospitalized with serious injuries. This incident is still under investigation.
Sweat has scored 24 tackles total in 10 games this season, his third in Washington. He missed some time after landing on the Washington/COVID-19 reserve list and suffered a non-displaced jaw fracture last month.
Washington, who came off a lopsided 56-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Rivera said of his players via ESPN: “These guys are more than just robots. These are people. They have a teammate going through something right now. It’s tough. It’s not normal. This is real life.”