Former NFL player Zurlon Tipton died on Tuesday, June 28, after accidentally shooting himself at a Michigan car dealership, according to The Detroit News.
Police say Tipton, 26, pulled into the service bay at a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership in Roseville, Michigan, at around 9:30 a.m. He was reaching for a duffel bag, which had two guns inside, when one of the guns accidentally went off and shot Tipton in the stomach.
Local news WJBK reports that Tipton was speaking with people at the scene after the accident and was expected to survive, but he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner confirmed the victim’s identity and has an autopsy scheduled for Wednesday, June 29.
“A gentleman … brought a vehicle into our service department between 9 and 9:30 this morning,” Mark DeMara, general manager of the dealership, told The Detroit News. “He had a transmission leak in his vehicle. At some point he reached into a duffel bag that was on the passenger seat of his vehicle and the pistol that was in there deployed and shot the gentleman in the abdomen.”
Tipton is from Sterling Heights and played football for Central Michigan University. The running back was undrafted but was later signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2014. He played 16 games for the team over the last two years, but he was waived at the end of the last NFL season.
In December, Tipton was arrested near Indianapolis for allegedly firing an assault rifle. According to the Indy Star, he was charged with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
