Gary Tyner went out of his way to encourage teammates while playing football at Charles Drew High School. He was respectful and the “ultimate” competitor on both sides of the ball, his former coach said.
On Tuesday evening, the 23-year-old was shot and killed at an apartment complex in northwest Atlanta’s Old Gordon neighborhood, according to authorities. His impact was such that Drew Athletic Director Dorwyn Lyles, who coached Tyner from 2014 to 2017, said the entire Titan family is “deeply saddened by his loss.”
“Even though he played quarterback, (he) was one of our more skilled defenders,” Lyles said in an emailed statement, offering his prayers for “strength for his family, friends and those closest to him.”
Tyner was not breathing when Atlanta police responded around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday to Metropolitan Garden Homes on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. He was shot several times and died at the scene, police said.
His identity was confirmed by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. No arrests have been made and a motive has yet to be determined.
Lyles said the Drew community was in mourning after the shooting, which he called “heartbreaking.”
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