Former pro basketball player shot and killed at the young age of 27

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Robert Curtis, a talented basketball player who was once the No. 1 pick in the National Basketball League of Canada, was shot and killed outside of a Home Depot in Victorville, CA. He was 27.

Police were called to the scene of a shooting where they found Curtis unresponsive, according to the Victorville News.  Curtis died a short time later at a local hospital. The suspects, who are still at large, fled the scene, according to the News.

Curtis' short life was marred with violence. His father was shot and killed when he was five years old, and last year Victorville was ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in California.

The 6-foot-10 Curtis, a power forward, won a state title with Saddlebrook College, a junior college, in 2010. He transferred to Wayland Baptist University, a Division II school, and lead the team in scoring in his only year there. In 2012, he was the No. 1 pick in the fledgling National Basketball League of Canada, which now has 10 teams. The News also reported that Curtis played in China.