A collegiate soccer player on the Ohio State's No. 1 ranked team, Nathan Demian, was tragically shot early on Sunday morning, just hours after he helped lead the Buckeyes in a 3-0 win over Wake Forest to advance to the national semi-finals.
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Nathan Demian (#3) can be seen celebrating with his teammates after their win over Wake Forest on Saturday. Just a few hours later he was shot and injured near OSU’s campus in a drive-by shooting. Nate was an innocent bystander. @wsyx6 https://t.co/GeypF5Sitr
— Kate Siefert (@KateWSYX6) December 9, 2024
Ohio State's athletic department released a statement:
"The soccer program is thankful for the incredible university support and medical care available to Nathan and his family during this difficult time," the statement read. "Nathan's family is with him, and the team is extremely close. The family has asked that everyone keep Nathan in their prayers."
"The department will do all it can to support Nathan, his family and the men's soccer program in every way possible... Because of the police investigation underway, the department will not be able to discuss the incident further."
— Ohio State Men’s Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) December 9, 2024
To note, it was specified that Demian was just an innocent bystander, "not a suspect in the criminal investigation, nor was he involved in any sort of altercation prior to the incident."
In view of the police report, this incident involved two vehicles chasing each other. In one of the vehicles, a person fired at the other and involuntarily shot Demian.
According to ABC 6, there was a neighbor nearby that had witnessed the shooting.
"I walked outside and saw a disturbance; a guy pulled up with a car, there was two people arguing with him," Ohio State student Quinn Gillilan told reporters. "Things got crazy and I guess he just pulled out a gun and started shooting. It was insane."
As a redshirt junior from Vancouver, B.C., Demian has appeared in 14 games this season, while starting in 12 of them for the Buckeyes. In addition, Demian has played for Team Canada's U15 and U17 national teams.
Following the news, Ohio State coach Brian Maisonneuve spoke about how much Demian means to the team.
"Nate is an incredible teammate, an incredible person and a fantastic player," Maisonneuve said. "He will be missed and obviously we will miss him on the field... The team has come together as group. It's special group. It's a close group and we are definitely leaning on each other."
The top ranked team's next semi-final game in the NCAA tournament is scheduled for Friday vs. No. 13 Marshall, at this time Demian's status is unknown.
X/@B1GSoccer; #3 Nathan Demian
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