Former University of Delaware starting linebacker David Mackall has been identified by Baltimore Police as the victim killed in a shooting Wednesday afternoon, The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday.

Mackall, 28 and a Baltimore native, was found by Baltimore Southwest District patrol officers after reports of a shooting on the 1900 block of Braddock Avenue in the Walbrook neighborhood.

He had been shot in the torso and head and died after being taken to a nearby hospital, according to police.

Homicide detectives are investigating the matter.

Dave Brock, who was head coach during Mackall's final two years at UD, was saddened to hear of his tragic death.

"You want so badly for the kids you coach to be successful and when something like this happens it just guts you," said Brock, now running backs coach with the Atlanta Falcons. "You just feel so badly for the loss of opportunity for him and for his family. It's just a really sad situation."

Mackall was the father of two young sons.

Mackall transferred to Delaware before the 2012 season from the University of Maryland, where he started at defensive end as a sophomore in 2011.

He missed his first season at Delaware with an injury. Mackall then played all 12 games and started the last 10 at outside linebacker in 2013 for the Blue Hens, and finished third on the team with 75 tackles as Delaware went 7-5.

Moved to middle linebacker, Mackall then started all 12 games while leading 6-6 Delaware with 84 tackles in 2014. Mackall also intercepted two passes in his UD career.

"That guy was a physical player who put his heart into the game,” said Pat Callaway, who played linebacker alongside Mackall both seasons. “He was the guy you wanted next to you. But the only thing more important to him than football was his family. He was a huge family guy.”

Callaway is now a college scout with the Tennessee Titans.

"I think David grew a lot when he was there," Brock said of Mackall's time at Delaware, "and kind of found himself on and off the field. I thought he provided a lot of leadership for the younger players and was a really good teammate."

Before going to Maryland, Mackall had graduated from Baltimore’s Edmonson-Westside High School and then attended Fork Union Military Academy for a year.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.