Chase Meola OSU student shot dead by Kintie Lanod Mitchell Jr following altercation outside house frat party. Victim was former Mahwah High School Football Star.
A former New Jersey high school star football player attending Ohio State University was fatally gunned down near campus, Sunday morning, authorities said.
Chase Meola, 23, a fifth-year student from Mahwah, studying finance at OSU, was found shot dead in an alley about 2 a.m., the university’s public safety department said. Meola was declared dead on scene.
Before the shooting an altercation erupted outside of a house frat party that was broken up, officials said.
Kintie Lanod Mitchell Jr., 18, of Columbus was arrested and charged with murder, authorities said. Of note, the suspect had been arrested earlier this year on burglary charges in connection with a home break-in.
Police said Mitchell was not a Ohio State student and they were trying to determine how he wound up at the party.
How did suspect with prior criminal convictions end up at college party?
‘We’re going to continue to gather the facts to figure out why [Mitchell] was there and…not only what led him to a house on campus but what led him specifically to that gathering and that party,’ Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua said according to the Daily Voice.
The student’s shooting death led to school officials releasing a statement.
‘The Ohio State University community is in mourning, and our deepest condolences and support go to the family and friends of Chase,’ the university public safety department said.
Meola was a running back, safety and free safety on a pair of state championship football teams. He also played lacrosse.
Former football star aspired to have a Wall st career
Meola played for the Mahwah High School Thunderbirds, who in 2015 won a sectional title, NJ.com reported.
A student in the university’s Fisher School of Business, the Bergen County native said on his LinkedIn profile he aspired to be a financial analyst.
‘Wall Street is where I would like to see my self in the near future. Ohio State was a great place for me learn and perfect all my skills,’ he wrote.
A Gofundme fundraiser organized to help cover any and all costs related to Chase’s funeral and to support his family as of late Sunday night had raised $28,858 of a $35,000 goal.
