Ex-NFL Player Fatally Shoots Self While Moving Duffel Bag

A former NFL running back accidentally and fatally shot himself Tuesday at a car dealership outside Detroit while moving a duffel bag containing two guns, WJBK reports. According to the Indianapolis Star, Zurlon Tipton brought his Jeep to the dealership to be serviced. He was moving personal items from his trunk into the duffel bag when one of the guns went off. Tipton was shot in the stomach. Police initially thought the 26-year-old Tipton would be OK as he was talking before being taken to the hospital. No other injuries were reported.

Tipton appeared in 16 games in two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, the AP reports. He was released in December. “He loved to have fun," former teammate Frank Gore tells the Star. "He was always loud and acting crazy in the locker room. That’s just who he was.” Tipton's alma mater, Central Michigan University, calls his death "shocking and tragic." Tipton was arrested in late 2015 for allegedly firing a gun. Police say he fled the scene after reports of shots fired with a handgun and AR-15 assault rifle in his Jeep. Charges were never filed. Both guns in the duffel bag were registered to Tipton, and he had a concealed pistol license.