Eastern Washington football players released from hospital after ‘random’ shooting

Eastern Washington football players Dehonta Hayes and Keith Moore have been released from the hospital after suffering gunshot wounds in downtown Spokane early Saturday morning.

Hayes, who told The Spokesman-Review he was shot in the neck, was treated and released hours after the incident in Spokane’s central bar district near Main Avenue and Division Street.

Moore, who was shot in the chest according to Hayes, was released Monday.

Hayes said he and Moore were shot Saturday – around 1:20 a.m., according to Spokane police – when Hayes was in a nearby dirt parking lot looking for his car keys.

Hayes said the shooting was “random.”

“Keith had broken up a fight outside and the guys took off running,” said Hayes, a safety who was third on the team in tackles last season. “I was outside looking for my car keys, and as I got to my car door that was locked, I walked away and heard two pops. They shot at us.”

“I never saw (the shooters) because my back was to them,” Hayes said.

Nearby officers stationed downtown immediately rendered aid to Hayes and Moore, Spokane police said on Saturday.

Police hadn’t announced suspects or arrests in connection to the shooting as of Monday night. Major crimes detectives are investigating the shooting and have interviewed witnesses.

Moore, a starting defensive tackle, earned EWU’s Soaring Eagle Student Award in April.

“I’m a firm believer that God works in mysterious ways!” Moore posted on Twitter on Monday. “He definitely watched over my brother (Hayes) and I the other night!”

Hayes was recently named the EWU student newspaper’s Student-Athlete of the Year. He graduated in May, but has one more season of eligibility after redshirting his freshman year.

Hayes, who said the bullet remains in his neck, expects to be ready for EWU’s first practice on Aug. 1. Moore likely will take a couple weeks longer, he said.

“I’ll be good to go in a couple days and can go back to training,” Hayes said.

EWU teammates Jayce Gilder and Dylan Ledbetter are happy their teammates are recovering.

“When I heard about (the shooting) I immediately got a hold of Keith, I wanted to make sure he’s OK,” Ledbetter said. “I go to war with him on the defensive line, side by side. He got back to me real quick and said they’re all right.”

Gilder and Ledbetter represented EWU at the Big Sky Football Kickoff on Sunday and Monday at the Davenport Grand Hotel, where conference commissioner Tom Wistrcill opened the two-day event by asking attendees to keep Hayes and Moore in their thoughts and prayers.

“I’m just so glad they’re OK. It’s a terrible thing and goes to show you that you never know what can happen,” Gilder said. “Just a random thing when trying to go home.”