NBA player breaks down door, shot and killed in Dallas, police say

A rookie with the New Orleans Pelicans broke down a door at an apartment complex in Dallas was fatally shot early Saturday by a man who had been asleep inside, police said.

Bryce Dejean-Jones, 23, was pronounced dead at a Dallas hospital. He was a guard for the NBA’s Pelicans, where he played 14 games this season.

Police said there is no indication that Dejean-Jones was armed or knew the resident inside the apartment. His agent told CNN that Dejean-Jones was looking for his girlfriend’s apartment and mistakenly entered the wrong one.

ESPN reported that Jones was in Dallas to celebrate his daughter’s birthday and had an argument with the girl’s mother before the shooting.

At about 3:20 a.m., police responded to a shooting in the 2500 block of Bennett Avenue and found Dejean-Jones, who left the apartment and collapsed in a breezeway.

The resident of the apartment told police that a person had kicked open the front door and entered. The resident grabbed a handgun, called out to the person and fired his gun after the person kicked the bedroom door, police said in an email.

Dejean-Jones played at USC, UNLV and Iowa State. He signed a three-year contract with the Pelicans in February.

“It is with deep sadness that the Pelicans organization acknowledges the sudden passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones,” the Pelicans said in a statement. “We are devastated at the loss of this young man's life who had such a promising future ahead of him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bryce's family during this difficult time.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "NBA player breaks down door, shot and killed in Dallas, police say."