Tragedy has struck Georgia Tech commit Jerry Howard, a running back from Rock Hill, S.C. Howard’s father, Jerry Sr., died Friday after a shooting in Rock Hill.
Jerry Howard Sr. was 37. He was reportedly shot several times and died at a nearby hospital.
“It was tragic,” said Howard’s high-school coach at Northwestern High, David Pierce. “It was horrible.”
Pierce said that the community has wrapped its arms around Howard “trying to get him through the next few weeks.” Pierce called Howard a young man of great character and strength.
“I would say he’s handled it better than I would have,” he said.
Howard sent out a tweet on Saturday, the day after the shooting, assuring that he would be alright and encouraging people to tell his mother to keep pushing. Pierce said that Howard still intended to keep his commitment to play in the North Carolina-South Carolina all-star game, to be played Dec. 17 in Spartanburg, S.C.
“The city of Atlanta is getting a great kid here in a few months,” Pierce said.
Howard has known more than his share of sadness. His older sister Ja'Quasha Martin died in January 2015 after a car accident. In an article by the Herald of Rock Hill, Howard said that his sister's death pushed him "to give it all I can and represent her."
No arrests had been made in the shooting case as of Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
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