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http://dukechronicle.com/article/3-football-players-face-felony-gun-charges-dismissed-team

3 football players face felony gun charges, dismissed from team
By Lindsey Rupp
January 15, 2010

Three football players were charged with felonious possession and discharge of a weapon Sunday.

Freshmen John Drew, Kyle Griswould and Brandon Putnam have been dismissed from the team and are barred from campus until the charges are resolved. The three students, along with one unidentified non-student, were arrested.

The four were held in jail on $40,000 secured bond Sunday, said Chief John Dailey of the Duke University Police Department.

A fire alarm forced residents to evacuate Aycock residence hall around 3 a.m. Officers responding to the alarm heard shots, which Dailey said were unrelated to the alarm, fired from a car near Jarvis residence hall.

Officers located the vehicle near Blackwell residence hall and traced it to one of the charged suspects. After further investigation, officers also think the suspects discharged the weapon on Campus Drive, according to a Duke news release.

Dailey said he does not know how many shots were fired, but thinks the suspects were firing the weapon—a semi-automatic handgun—into the air.

Although Dailey said the suspects’ motives remain unclear, he said the incident does not pose a continued threat to campus.

Head football coach David Cutcliffe released a statement Sunday announcing the players’ dismissal for unbecoming conduct.

“These types of offenses are going to be associated with dismissal from our team,” Cutcliffe said. “While these three young men did not meet the expectations of those in our program, our prayers are with them and their families during this difficult time.”

Although Cutcliffe said that the team will continue to move forward, Drew, a defensive tackle, had a game presence finishing his freshman season with 34 tackles. Drew played in all 12 games in 2009, including a starting assignment in one.

Griswould, a running back, and Putnam, a defensive end, did not see playing time last Fall.

Dailey said proximity helped officers apprehend the suspects shortly after the shots were fired.

“Clearly anyone who fires a weapon on campus is dangerous, at least at that time,” Dailey said. “We charged them with a pretty serious crime.”

DUPD will continue to investigate where the weapon came from, Dailey said, adding that he is in communication with Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta and the Durham Police Department.

Moneta deferred inquiries about the incident to Dailey.

The campus did not receive a DukeAlert following the incident, and Dailey said he is not sure whether there are plans to send a campus-wide e-mail about the events.

“We felt like there was no ongoing threat and that we had the situation under control,” Dailey said. “Our officers did a really good job and were able to locate the car very quickly and then identify the suspects.”