Georgia high school football player was fatally shot multiple times, relative says

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Police are investigating the death of a high school football player in Georgia whose grandmother says he died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Brandon Smith, 17, was found dead on 10 December, just a day before his high school football team was set to play the state championship game. Police found his body “behind a residence in a thick wooded area,” Chief Gray Couch from the Manchester Police Department told The Independent on 14 December. Authorities suspect foul play, Mr Couch added.

His grandmother, Maxine Smith, told local outlet 11Alive that it’s her understanding Brandon was shot multiple times.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation scheduled an autopsy for 12 December, 11Alive reports. The Manchester Police Department also asked the Bureau to conduct crime scene processing.

The Independent has contacted the Manchester Police Department for comment.

Brandon attended Manchester High School and played for their Blue Devils football team. They were set to play their championship game on 11 December at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Manchester High School’s celebration of playing for the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship has unfortunately turned into something none of us could have fathomed,” a letter from the Meriweather School District confirming Brandon’s death read.

The game went ahead on Monday night. Brandon’s team captains honored him by bringing his jersey to the 50-yard line, 11Alive reports.

Brandon was a “a loyal teammate and friend who excelled on and off the field,” the Meriweather School District letter read. “He will be deeply missed.”