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Ex-Michigan State star Keith Appling named suspect by Detroit Police in fatal shooting

Former Michigan State University basketball star Keith Appling was named as a suspect in a deadly shooting late Saturday by the Detroit Police Department.

At around 7:10 p.m. on the city's west side a verbal altercation ensued between a 66-year-old male victim and a 29-year-old man later identified as Appling, police said. The verbal altercation turned physical and Appling reportedly fired multiple gunshots at the older man, police said.

Police said the suspect fled the scene in a newer model, tan colored Buick Regal. They said the suspect is "considered armed and dangerous." The 66-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, per the Detroit Free Press.

Michigan State guard Keith Appling is named as a suspect in a fatal shooting. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michigan State guard Keith Appling is named as a suspect in a fatal shooting. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Appling was charged with drug crimes in February 2020 after authorities said they found heroin in a vehicle he planned to sell. He was arraigned on charges of delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance. Prosecutors said they found 19 grams, or a "golf ball-sized" amount. He was sentenced in December to 18 months probation, per the Free Press.

In 2017, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in jail for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting police.

Appling was the 2010 Michigan Mr. Basketball and stayed in his home state to play four years for Michigan State from 2010-14. He led the team in scoring his junior year.

After college ball he played in the NBA G League for a few stints and was with the Orlando Magic for a bit in 2016. He last played professional basketball in Italy in 2019.

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