Suspect in Duquesne Hoops Shooting in Custody

Sept. 19. 2006 — -- Police arrested a suspect early this morning in connection with the shooting of five Duquesne basketball players, ESPN has learned.

The man was arrested around 2 a.m. and was being held in Pittsburgh for questioning. The charges against him were not immediately known.

In another development in the investigation on Monday evening, a woman who was involved in an argument that may have led to the shooting was arrested on two conspiracy charges. ESPN has learned that one of the conspiracy charges involves aiding someone with bringing a weapon onto campus.

Brittany Jones, 19, a sophomore at Duquesne whose mother is a campus drug and alcohol counselor, decided to cooperate with officials only after she was charged, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

It was not clear if there was a connection between Jones and the suspect who was taken into custody.

Investigators told the Tribune-Review that they will speak with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office about dropping the charges against Jones if she continues to cooperate.

Police tried to arrest Jones at one of her classes Monday morning, but she had already left. They returned in the afternoon, but she did not attend her scheduled class. After receiving a tip, police tracked her down and arrested her at an undisclosed location.

Jones invited several friends to a dance sponsored by Duquesne's Black Student Union on Saturday. None of the friends were students at the school. According to the Tribune-Review, one of the friends was her boyfriend, but ESPN was told by police that that is not the case.

Investigators said that at the dance Jones hugged and flirted with several members of the basketball team, angering one of her male friends. The two argued, and the basketball players left the dance.

A short time later outside Vickroy Hall dormitory, the man with whom Jones had argued and another man allegedly pulled guns and fired approximately 12 shots at the players, police said.

Three of the five players remain hospitalized, with one in critical condition.