The baseball administrator at a Nebraska university was fatally shot Thursday outside of a home he recently sold to a realty company, a report said.
A renter at the Omaha home, Ladell Thornton, 43, is suspected of killing Christopher Gradoville, who was the director of baseball operations at Creighton University, the Omaha World-Herald reported, citing authorities.
Gradoville, 37, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds outside the house at about 7:55 a.m. after arriving there to complete a repair for the company, the report said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the shooting.
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.
Creighton University responded to the death of Gradoville, who also played baseball for the school from 2004 to 2007.
“The Creighton community is absolutely devastated by the death of Chris Gradoville,” the university said in the statement.
“Chris represented the very best of what it meant to be a Bluejay. He was an alumnus, former standout baseball player, and the volunteer director of baseball operations.”
Gradoville was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 24th round of the 2007 MLB draft, the report said. In his fourth and final season, he played for their Triple-A team.
