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Five university basketball players shot after dance

Police continued a search for a man who shot five Duquesne University basketball players on campus early on Sunday after a dance at the student union, leaving at least one of them in critical condition.

Two players were walking near a dormitory and encountered a man who apparently had been disruptive at the dance, authorities said. After trying to calm the man, they were shot as they walked away. Players who rushed to their aid were also shot.

The gunman and the group of people with him were not students, a university official said.

critical condition

Forward Sam Ashaolu of Toronto, a cousin of former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon, was listed in critical condition after the shooting. Stuard Baldonado of Colombia, who was considered the school's best recruit, was listed in serious condition.

Also hospitalized was Kojo Mensah, a guard from New York City, school officials said at a news conference on Sunday.

Mensah's condition was not released.

Shawn James of New York City -- the leading shot blocker in the US last season at Northeastern University before transferring to Duquesne -- was treated and released, as was Aaron Jackson of Hartford, Connecticut, a guard who is one of only two returning players from Duquesne's 3-24 team last season.

two guns

Witnesses reported seeing two guns, said university president Charles Dougherty, but he couldn't confirm whether both were fired.

The second gun was seen on someone in the group with the gunman, Dougherty said.

Six to 12 shots were fired, he said. He did not know what sparked the violence.

"What motive can there be for unloading a pistol into a group of students?" Dougherty asked.

James, a NBA prospect expected to be Duquesne's top player when he becomes eligible in the 2007-08 season, was shot in the foot but no bones were broken. Mensah was believed to have been shot in the shoulder. Jackson was shot in the hand.

The downtown school has round-the-clock police protection, which was stepped up on Sunday. Armed university police officers guarded dormitories and other buildings.

Duquesne University is a private Catholic university with nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
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