Former Jets RB Chris Johnson shot in Florida; one dead

Jim Corbett | USA TODAY Sports

Former Tennessee Titans and New York Jets running back Chris Johnson was shot in the shoulder Sunday morning in Orlando, Fla., according to a release from the Orange County Sheriff's office.

Deputies responded to the shooting call at 4:09 a.m. Sunday and found the driver of a Jeep, Dreekius Oricko Johnson, dead and two other men with gunshot wounds.

The victims, Chris Johnson and Reggie Johnson, told police that an unknown vehicle pulled up at a red light and opened fire into the Jeep, leaving Dreekius Oricko Johnson, 28, dead.

Chris Johnson, an Orlando native, and Reggie Johnson were taken to a hospital and were reported to be in stable condition. There was no listing of the relationship of the victims.

The investigation into the shooting was ongoing and no arrests have been made, according to the report.

The Jets released Chris Johnson in mid-February declining to pick up the 29-year-old running back's $500,000 option bonus as part of the two-year, $8-million contract Johnson signed with the club last April.

Last season was Johnson's first with the Jets and marked the first time in his seven-season career that he failed to reach 1,000 yards rushing as he finished with a career-low 663. In January, Johnson was arrested in Orlando and charged with the open carrying of a firearm, a second-degree misdemeanor.

The former East Carolina University star spent his first six seasons with the Tennessee Titans. In 2009, Johnson became just the sixth back in NFL history to post a 2,000-yard season (Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson became the seventh member of that 2,000-yard club in 2012). Johnson earned Offensive Player of the Year honors with 2,509 yards from scrimmage that season.

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