West Virginia State player Jyilek Harrington, 21, shot dead in alleged home invasion

A West Virginia State football player was shot and killed in an alleged home invasion, and the university expressed its condolences on Thursday afternoon.

The body of linebacker Jyilek Harrington, a 21-year-old from Charlotte, N.C., was found inside an apartment Wednesday night in Charleston, W.Va., police told the Associated Press.

The police noted that several gunshots were fired during a disturbance inside the apartment. Harrington suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is being investigated as a home invasion.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jyilek’s family as they mourn the loss of this incredible young man,” West Virginia State president Ericke S. Cage said in a letter to students and faculty.

“In remembrance of Jyilek, and in support of our football team, I am encouraging all students, faculty and staff to attend tonight’s football game at 6 p.m. against Carson-Newman University, where Jyilek also once played.”

Harrington previously played at Carson-Newman before transferring to West Virginia State.

“Carson-Newman joins West Virginia State in mourning the untimely passing of former student-athlete Jyilek Harrington,” Carson-Newman’s vice president of athletics Matt Pope said in a statement. “The Harrington family and the Yellow Jackets’ campus community is in our prayers. News like this is sad to hear anytime, but today it feels worse with two teams who knew him coming together to play.”

Along with his contributions on the football field, Harrington was known for his contributions in service work around the community.

He had formed a tradition of helping others. To that end, the school is creating a fund to further his efforts.

“Jyilek truly embodied what it means to be a student-athlete and was a leader not only on campus but in the community. Jyilek was a young man that, during Christmas, would create a GoFundMe to help less fortunate families,” said Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Nate Burton. “The athletic department is creating a fund in memory of Jyilek and all donations will be distributed to an organization in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina to continue his work.”

To donate to the Jyilek Harrington Memorial Fund, please visit https://give.wvstateu.edu/JyilekHarrington.