Florida

USF Football Player Injured, Arrested After Road Rage Shooting: Police

A University of South Florida football player who was injured in a road rage shooting in Tampa over the weekend is now facing charges, officials said.

Hassan Childs, a senior defensive back for USF, is facing charges of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor marijuana possession in the incident that happened Saturday night, WFLA reported.

Childs was hospitalized in stable condition after he was shot three times during an apparent road rage dispute with a man identified as Jovanni Jimenez.

According to Tampa Police, Jiminez said Childs pointed a gun at Jiminez and his wife, and Jiminez said he shot Childs in self defense.

Childs, from Kissimmee, Fla., and has totaled 28 tackles and three interceptions for the Bulls in the last 26 games.

"We are deeply concerned that an incident occurred overnight in which one of our players, Hassan Childs, was injured in a shooting. Thankfully, Hassan is in stable condition and being well cared for, and no one else was injured," USF head football coach Charlie Strong said in a statement. "There is an ongoing investigation of the incident and we are in the process of gathering further information. Out of respect for the integrity of the investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."

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