A Friend Allegedly Killed Him—and NFL Dreams

Rising football star Joshua Ancrum fatally shot in Florida on Tuesday
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 23, 2019 10:40 AM CDT
A Friend Allegedly Killed Him—and NFL Dreams
Joshua Ancrum   (GoFundMe)

"Stop the violence." It's a simple plea made with a lot of pain by the mother of a 17-year-old rising football star fatally shot Tuesday—allegedly by a childhood friend. Joshua Ancrum was at a friend's house in Miami Gardens, Fla., when there was an argument over a video game, mom Lisa Alvarez tells Local 10. "I don't know what happened," she tells CBS Miami. "All I know is that for two young boys, life is over." Ancrum was airlifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities have since arrested 16-year-old Jatwan Phillips on a charge of aggravated manslaughter. Phillips, who could still be charged as an adult, was ordered held in jail at a Wednesday court appearance.

Ancrum, who played football at Miami Norland High School and with the 7v7 South Florida Express, had received scholarship offers from Florida International University, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, and Bowling Green, per USA Today. A teammate says Ancrum had "grown up in a bad neighborhood and he had a lot of bad influences," but his life changed for the better with football. "He wanted to make it to the NFL. He wanted to buy me a house," Alvarez tells CBS. Days before Ancrum's death, "he told me … 'I'm going to make you so proud,'" she adds, per NBC Miami. Some $4,300 has been raised to cover funeral expenses. (More shooting death stories.)

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