Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton spoke about Josh Reynolds’ ‘shaken’ condition on Friday after the receiver was shot last week.
The Broncos player was shot in the head after leaving a local strip club in the early hours of Oct. 18, police confirmed Thursday.
Reynolds, who is currently on injured reserve after undergoing finger surgery earlier this month, was one of two men injured in the shooting, which took place outside Shotgun Willie’s, a strip club in Glendale, Colorado.
Payton gave a brief update on the 29-year-old and admitted that Reynolds was left distraught by the ordeal.
‘Josh Reynolds last week was involved in a very serious incident. … I’m like you when I have the initial details, (but) he’s lucky,” Payton said after Friday’s practice, via ESPN. “I had a chance to talk to him, he was pretty shocked.”
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton (L) spoke about Josh Reynolds’ (R) ‘shaken’ condition
The coach insisted that the franchise would make as many resources available to Reynolds as necessary in the coming weeks, including counseling.
“Everyone comes into play,” Payton said, also revealing that he had addressed the rest of the team about the incident.
Reynolds and two male acquaintances were at Shotgun Willie’s in Glendale, Colorado, until almost 3 a.m. on the morning of October 18.
Shortly after they left, police were called to reports of a shooting in the area and eventually found Reynolds, who was hit in the back of the head and left arm, according to the NBC affiliate in Denver.
No one was seriously injured in the shooting and Reynolds and another man were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital before being released.
Two men have been arrested in the case, Burr Charlesworth and Luis Mendoza, who are being held “for investigation of” attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, according to a police statement.
Police received an emergency call near East Hampden Avenue and South Dahlia Street in Denver’s Southmoor Park neighborhood around 3 a.m. on October 18.
The caller, who said he was driving a blue Ford Bronco, claimed he had been shot.
Police discovered the victims’ abandoned Bronco (pictured), which suffered gunshot damage.
The victims’ blue Ford Bronco appeared to have suffered significant gunshot damage.
The 911 operator reported that the caller stopped responding at one point and sounded like he was running.
Another 911 caller said he was being followed and a third claimed they had been shot too, according to 9NEWS.
Responding officers found three victims: Reynolds, a man who was shot in the back, and another man who was injured by broken glass.
Police discovered the victims’ abandoned Ford Bronco, which was left riddled with bullet holes along an interstate highway in Denver. It is unclear if the vehicle belonged to Reynolds and if he was driving at the time of the shooting. Police say the circumstances of the shooting are still unclear.
The victims had reportedly been at Shotgun Willies, a strip club in Glendale, Colorado.
NBA fans will remember that club for a 2023 incident involving Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who was recorded flashing at the facility. Morant would ultimately serve a lengthy suspension for that incident and others.
Reynolds signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Broncos in free agency last April.
He hasn’t played since breaking his finger on a nine-yard touchdown catch in the Broncos’ Week 5 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Reynolds was reportedly at a strip club called Shotgun Willie’s earlier that night.
Reynolds, a San Antonio native who played college football at Texas A&M, was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He has 232 receptions for 3,116 yards and 20 touchdowns during stints with the Rams, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions and Broncos.
Reynolds is not the first Broncos player to be shot in Denver.
Cornerback Darrent Williams was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting in January 2007 while leaving a New Year’s Eve party hosted by then-Denver Nuggets star Kenyon Martin.