Former Spokane Indians player fatally shot in Nebraska

From staff reports

A former Spokane Indians baseball player was fatally shot Thursday outside a home he recently leased in Omaha, Nebraska, according to the New York Post.

A renter at the Omaha home, Ladell Thornton, 43, is suspected of killing Christopher Gradoville, 37, who was the director of baseball operations at Creighton University, the Omaha World-Herald reported, citing authorities.

Gradoville was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds outside the house at about 7:55 a.m. after arriving there to complete a repair, the report said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the shooting.

Gradoville joined the Creighton staff as the director of operations last fall and had played as a “standout catcher” for the school from 2004 to 2007, according to Creighton athletics. He graduated in 2007 with degrees in marketing and business and also spent four years with the Texas Rangers, according to Creighton.

Gradoville also worked in Omaha and Spokane in sports performance. He lived in the Omaha area with his wife, Nikki, whom he met while playing for the Spokane Indians in 2007, according to his Creighton bio.

Thornton, who reportedly has an extensive criminal history, recently starting renting the property, police said.

He was taken into custody at the scene and later arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony, the report said.