Sheldon Watts pre-business freshman

Freshman in critical condition after being hit by stray bullet

A redshirt UA football player was shot at a mid-town house party early yesterday morning and was in critical condition last night.

Sheldon Watts, 18, a pre-business freshman from Fresno, Texas, is being treated at University Medical Center for gunshot wounds to the arm and chest.

Watts was in critical condition last night, according to Janet Stark, of UMC public relations.

Marco Borboa, Tucson Police Department spokesman, said police arrived at a house party around 2 a.m. yesterday after receiving a call that shots had been fired.

The house was near Park Place Mall at South Alamo Avenue and East 14th Street.

Borboa said about 100 people were at the party when police arrived.

The shooting appeared to have resulted from a confrontation, which was moved outside where shots were fired, Borboa said. Watts was not part of the confrontation and was just at the party, Borboa said.

An 18-year-old was also grazed by a bullet during the shooting but did not want to press charges.

Borboa said there have been no arrests yet and police are continuing to investigate what happened.

Watts was at the party with three other football players who said they were also redshirt players, Borboa said. The three football players' names have not been released.

Watts, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound offensive guard, did not travel with the football team to Los Angeles over the weekend because of his redshirt status.

The athletic department had not issued an official comment on the shooting yesterday.