It began with a fight over a girl and ended in the death of a promising football star on the rise.
The details of the hectic moments before University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard was fatally stabbed were released yesterday in a police affidavit as the young men accused of killing Howard remain behind bars.
According to the affidavit, Howard and some of his UConn teammates were at a school dance on Oct. 18, celebrating their win over Louisville earlier in the day when a scuffle broke out when one of the UConn players, Brian Parker, reportedly make some disparaging remarks about a woman.
Parker was stabbed in the fight, and the man who confronted him, 21-year-old Johnny Hood, was arrested for breach of peace and interfering with police.
As the fight was happening, another man pulled a fire alarm, causing the dance to break up. As the crowd dispersed, Howard and teammates got into a fight with 21-year-old John Lomax and 18-year-old De'Quan Muhammad.
Witnesses told police that Howard, who teammates called Jazz, took a swing at Lomax before Lomax allegedly brandished a knife.
"It looked like he slashed or stabbed Jazz on the left side of his stomach," Devra Brown, a woman who said she knew Lomax, told investigators. Brown said Howard cried out "They got me! They got me!" before he collapsed from his wounds.
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Howard's teammate, Michael Smith, also told police he saw Howard throw a punch at Lomax, then saw blood on Howard's shirt after the fight.
Howard later died from a stab wound to his abdomen at a nearby hospital. Only 20 years old, Howard grew up in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood, and was a star at Edison High. Possibly NFL-bound, Howard was a starting cornerback at UConn.
He was laid to rest at the New Birth Baptist Church in Miami on Oct. 26. His girlfriend was expecting the couple's first child.
Lomax has been charged with Howard's murder, and remains in jail on $2 million bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Four other men have been charged in the incident, including Muhammad who is charged with making a false statement, hindering prosecution and interfering with an officer. Jamal Todd, 21, is charged with pulling the fire alarm that led to the fight, as well as falsely reporting an incident and reckless endangerment.
Christopher Mutchler is charged with hindering prosecution, committing an act of terrorism and several misdemeanors for allegedly posting Internet messages threatening witnesses who talked to police.
Another man, Hakim Muhammad, is charged with conspiracy to commit assault.
University of Connecticut police and State Police said 40 investigators made at least 200 interviews before making the arrests.
