Former Colts RB Zurlon Tipton Dies After Gun Accidentally Goes Off
Zurlon Tipton died in an accidental shooting at a car dealership in Roseville, Michigan on Tuesday when a gun in his car accidentally discharged. As the former Indianapolis Colts running back went to take a duffel bag out of the the trunk of his car, one of the two guns inside went off and he was struck in the stomach.
The 26-year-old was immediately taken to the hospital and said to be in good condition, but he later passed away. Tipton had a bad history with guns, and on December 25, 2015 he was arrested in Greenwood, Indiana on charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. He had reportedly gone to his girlfriend’s home and fired a round from a Colt AR-15 rifle into the house.
Tipton and his brother had left a party to race to his girlfriend’s house after she claimed she had received threatening text messages from an ex-boyfriend. As it turned out, the man was not in the house and the brother fled. They were later caught by police.
Tipton was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2014, and was released by the team on December 21, 2015.
Obviously this was a tragic ending to a promising life. Our thoughts are with Tipton’s family and friend.