Albion College's Zachary Winston dies; police say he purposely stepped in front of train

Chris Solari | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption An emotional Michigan State pregame for Cassius Winston Michigan State had a moment of silence for Zachary Winston, and the crowd gave Cassius Winston a huge ovation before Sunday's game, Nov. 10, 2019.

Zachary Winston, an Albion College student and basketball player and University of Detroit Jesuit High alum, died Saturday night.

Winston, a younger brother of Michigan State basketball All-American Cassius Winston, was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in Albion.

“I’m just sick,” longtime U-D Jesuit basketball coach Pat Donnelly told the Free Press. “It’s just devastating. The nicest kid. I’m not a real emotional guy, but at 5 o’clock this morning, I just broke down in tears."

[ Cassius Winston makes first shot after pregame honors brother's death ]

Albion Public Safety chief Scott Kipp told the Battle Creek Enquirer that Zachary Winston intentionally stepped in front of the train, according to his department’s interview with the engineer and based on further police investigation.

The Albion Department of Public Safety reported the crash at 8:30 p.m. at a crossing near Erie Street in downtown Albion.

Winston was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 19-year-old Winston was a sophomore on the Division III Albion basketball team along with the youngest brother, Khy.

Zachary Winston, who had been sidelined by an injury, had been cleared this past week to play and had three points, two assists and two steals in 15 minutes Friday in the Britons' 71-52 loss at Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 2.6 points in 13.8 minutes per game last season.

"As a community, our hearts are broken today as we share the news of the passing of one of our students, Zachary Winston," Albion College president Mauri Ditzler said in a statement Sunday afternoon. "Zach was a finance major, a student in the Gerstacker Institute for Business and Management, and member of the Albion College men’s basketball team. Beyond that, he was an extremely charismatic young man with an infectious smile. Zach was a recognized leader who was well known across every facet of our campus, He was a fantastic student with a world of potential before him. He was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.

"As a campus, we have provided opportunities for students, faculty and staff to receive counseling and support in the challenging days ahead," the statement continued. "We want all students to know they are not alone.

"Our hearts go out to his brothers, Khy, who is a freshman at Albion, and Cassius, who is a senior at Michigan State University, his parents and his extended family. We echo the family’s request in asking everyone to respect their privacy at this time."

The Winston brothers, from Detroit, have been a fixture around MSU ever since coach Tom Izzo was recruiting Cassius. The Britons played No. 1 MSU in an exhibition game on Oct. 29, a game Izzo set up to get all three of them on the court together, but Zachary did not play due to his injury.

"Our hearts are filled with sorrow for the Winston family. Their pain over the sudden loss of Zachary is unimaginable," Izzo said in a statement. "It's impossible to find the right words in this moment, other than to stay that we will support the family in whatever way they need."

Zachary also played alongside Cassius and other Spartans during the Moneyball Pro-Am league in the Lansing area the past two summers.

“I just can’t picture it. That family is so tight, they didn’t do anything without each other,” Donnelly said. “He was the same Zach, all smiles, just a happy kid. Obviously, he was dealing with some things he didn’t put outward.”

[ Michigan State, U-D Jesuit families react to Zachary Winston's death ]

A message left with Albion’s sports information department was not immediately returned.

Amtrak was notified of the crash at 8:41 p.m. The westbound train was delayed 3½ hours at the scene until the investigation was completed. Kipp said.

Amtrak media relations spokeswoman Kimberly D. Woods told the Free Press via email that the Amtrak 355 Wolverine Train bound for Chicago “came into contact with a person on the track” and was temporarily suspended. There were 65 passengers on board, and there were no reported injuries on the train.

Zachary Winston is survived by his two brothers and their parents, Reg and Wendi Winston of Detroit.

Albion police were assisted by the Calhoun County Sheriff Department and the Department of Natural Resources.

In April, Winston and his Albion roommate Milton “M.J.” Barnes, who are black, reported racist messages and swastikas had been left on the whiteboard outside the door of their dorm room since December, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer.

It is unclear if Cassius Winston will play in Sunday's game against Binghamton (7 p.m., BTN).

Suicide Lifeline: If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time of day or night or chat online.

Battle Creek Enquirer reporter Trace Christenson contributed to this story.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.