Former Colorado NFL player, Anthony ‘TJ’ Cunningham gunned down over parking spot with neighbor. Aurora, Arapahoe County man, Marcus Johnson booked with first degree murder.
A former NFL player has died after being fatally shot in Colorado over a parking spot, police said Monday.
Former Seattle Seahawk Anthony ‘TJ’ Cunningham was shot multiple times by a neighbor Sunday morning in Arapahoe County, when the pair met in a parking lot between two middle schools to settle their long-running parking spot feud, the local sheriff’s office said.
Cunningham, 46, died from his injuries Monday the Denver Post reported.
Arrested with the former football player’s murder was alleged shooter, 31-year-old Marcus Johnson.
The former player for the University of Colorado was a safety on the Seahawks during the 1996 season, until injuries ended his career.
Update to #neighbordispute – ACSO Investigators say Anthony Cunningham died this afternoon. Charges will be amended from attempted murder to first degree murder against suspect Marcus Johnson.
— Arapahoe Sheriff (@ArapahoeSO) February 18, 2019
T.J. Cunningham was a tremendous part of the CU community and touched countless others beyond Boulder
“We were deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the death of T.J. Cunningham. He was a good family man and had a strong passion for working with young people.” pic.twitter.com/LKsgivdQ81
— Colorado Buffaloes (@cubuffs) February 18, 2019
Anthony ‘TJ’ Cunningham shooting death: ‘when did Parking Spots become a Life or Death issue?’
‘We were deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the death of T.J. Cunningham,’ CU Athletic Director Rick George said in a released statement.
Continued the statement, ‘He was a good family man and had a strong passion for working with young people as evidenced by serving as an assistant high school principal,’
‘He was also a good alum, an active alum, and took great pride in being a Colorado Buffalo. Our hearts go out to TJ’s family on their tragic loss. We will miss him.’
‘It’s just a shock. I am having a hard time believing it. He would greet me as his big brother and tell me that over the years. He told me how he was certainly inspired to go to CU after watching our teams at that time,’ said Mike Pritchard, who played for CU and attended the Seahawks’ training camp with Cunningham via the Denver Channel.
More recently, Cunningham was an assistant principal at Hinkley High School in his native city of Aurora. According to a GoFundMe set up on his behalf, Cunningham was married with five children.
Marcus Johnson, is being held at the Arapahoe County Detention Center on a first-degree murder charge.
Officials said a physical fight about the parking space broke out between the two men Sunday and the pair continued to taunt each other over text. They agreed to meet up in person to ‘settle it,’ Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deborah Sherman told 9 News.
Define ‘settle it’?
Johnson reportedly called cops to say he’d shot his neighbor, claiming Cunningham had attacked him earlier in the day.
Contemplated one user on social media, ‘when did Parking Spots become a Life or Death issue?’
Johnson’s first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
