AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn freshman football player Jakell Mitchell was shot and killed early Sunday morning at an apartment complex near the Auburn University campus.



UPDATE (2:03 p.m.): Auburn police have arrested Markale Hart, 22, in the shooting death of Mitchell.

Police responded to a call from the Tiger Lodge apartment complex at 12:25 a.m., where Mitchell suffered a fatal injury, Auburn police Capt. Will Mathews told AL.com. Officers made contact with a vehicle leaving the area shortly after 12:25 a.m., according to police. Mitchell, 18, was a passenger in the vehicle and was suffering from gunshot wounds at the time. He was transported to East Alabama Medical Center by ambulance with multiple gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead, according to the Lee County Coroner's Office.

The death is being treated as a homicide and an autopsy will be performed in Montgomery. The Auburn Police Department and Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences conducted an on-scene investigation through the morning and cleared the scene shortly after 9 a.m.

The shooting occurred at the same apartment complex where two former Auburn players died in a shooting in June of 2012. A jury determined Desmonte Leonard killed three people, including former Auburn players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips, at the party during a trial in October. He was convicted of capital murder, attempted murder and assault and will be sentenced Jan. 20.

Two residents told AL.com they heard at least six gunshots in the parking lot, where dozens of evidence markers littered the asphalt as police conducted their investigation Sunday morning. Stray bullets hit at least three vehicles, and one bullet hit the wall of an adjacent residence.

Police investigate the shooting death of Auburn tight end Jakell Mitchell during the early morning hours of Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014 at the Tiger Lodge apartment complex. The rear passenger window of a Cadillac was shattered and a bullet hole could be spotted at the top of the car door. (Brandon Marcello/bmarcello@al.com)

A Cadillac's rear passenger window was shattered and a bullet hole could be seen at the top of the car door. The car was one of three that suffered damage, but it was the only vehicle towed by police for further analysis. Police did not confirm whether it was the car Mitchell was found inside when they arrived on the scene.

When shots were fired, people scattered from a party held in the third-floor apartment of the No. 13 building in the center of the complex, according to residents.

"I heard people running down the stairs and then lights everywhere," said George Morgan, 38, who lives on the first floor of the building. "It was like cockroaches when the lights come on."

Mitchell's vehicle, a red Dodge Challenger, was not involved in the shooting and was towed after police cleared the scene.

Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs and coach Gus Malzahn released statements expressing their grief Sunday. Backup quarterback Jeremy Johnson visited the scene shortly after 10 a.m. to remember Mitchell. He said he was not at the Tiger Lodge apartment complex during the shooting.

"I couldn't believe it," Johnson told the Associated Press. "Jakell was a real good kid."

Tiger Lodge management released a statement via its Facebook page Sunday afternoon:

"We are cooperating fully with police as they investigate this matter. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jakell Mitchell's family, friends and the entire Auburn University community. When tragedies such as this occur, everyone is affected, and we all mourn his loss."

Police are asking for witnesses and those with tips to contact the Auburn police detective section at 334-501-3140. Anonymous tips can be made to the Auburn Police Department at 334-246-1391.

Mitchell redshirted this season for the Auburn Tigers out of nearby Opelika High. The local star was ranked the 17th-best tight end in the country by 247sports.com.



Mitchell sat out the 2014 season at Auburn to gain weight and get ready for 2015. He was expected to contend for a starting spot next season at H-Back and tight end following the departures of seniors Brandon Fulse and C.J. Uzomah.



Mitchell turned heads in fall camp and had the biggest play in the final scrimmage of preseason drills when he caught a deep pass for a 70-yard gain.



Mitchell missed his senior season at Opelika High as he recovered from an ACL injury. He rushed for 392 yards and 17 touchdowns and added 403 receiving yards as a junior in 2012.





Jakell Mitchell's high school coach, Brian Blackmon, to the O-A News: "This is a sad day. It's terrible -- terrible." — Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) December 14, 2014

AL.com will update this story when more information is made available.