Home »

University of Miami defensive lineman Bryan Pata was found dead outside of his apartment complex in Kendall on Tuesday.

A University of Miami season of tumult turned horrific Tuesday night when Hurricanes defensive lineman Bryan Pata was shot and killed at his apartment complex in Kendall.

''He was shot in the head,'' Miami Central coach Anthony Saunders said Tuesday night. ``He is dead.''

The 6-4, 280-pound senior, who went to Miami Central High, was last seen on campus at football practice late Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the shooting.

According to Miami-Dade police spokesman Roy Rutland, police officers were dispatched to the Colony Apartments, 9315 SW 77th Ave., at 7:30 p.m. where they found Pata, 22, dead of a gunshot wound near bushes in the parking lot area.

His mother, Ronette Pata, jumped out of a Lexus, where family was gathering outside the police line at about 9:30 p.m., screaming, ''My baby! My baby!'' She then began to slip and collapsed into the arms of a Miami-Dade detective in front of media members and onlookers.

She was wearing her son's No. 95 University of Miami jersey, with the words ''No. 1 Mom'' on the back.

Rutland could not release more details because homicide detectives are still interviewing witnesses and trying to piece together what happened.

''This is a very active investigation,'' Rutland said.

As he spoke, family members could be heard wailing a half block away. Friends and family began to flock at the corner of Southwest 77th Avenue and 90th Street late into the night. Paramedics were treating distraught family members.

''Right now, we're just gathering ourselves and just trying to pull ourselves together,'' UM athletic director Paul Dee told The Associated Press.

UM players gathered for a team meeting late Tuesday night at the Hecht Athletic Center.

''Tonight the University of Miami tragically lost a member of our football family, Bryan Pata,'' according to a statement released by UM. ``Bryan was a fine person and a great competitor. He will be forever missed by his coaches and teammates. We offer our thoughts and prayers to his family. Our players are deeply saddened and are grieving. We ask that their privacy be respected in the coming days.

``The University of Miami urges anybody with any information on this tragedy to contact the Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Bureau or Crimestoppers.''

No decision has been made on the status of Saturday's game at Maryland.

This is the second UM-related incident involving guns this season. In July, safety Willie Cooper was shot in the buttocks while allegedly investigating what he and his roommates believed were would-be burglars. Cornerback Brandon Meriweather, who lives with Cooper, returned fire with a semiautomatic pistol.

In the past 10 years, three other UM football players have died. In 2003, safety Al Blades was killed in a car accident. In 2002, linebacker Chris Campbell also died in a car crash. And in 1996, linebacker Marlin Barnes was murdered at his on-campus apartment.

Pata, an imposing-looking man who was friendly and open with reporters, recently invited a Miami Herald sportswriter to his apartment near Dadeland. In a tour of the apartment, he showed a few guns that he kept in his closet and said he used at shooting ranges.

The other hobby Pata had was restoring old cars.

Pata majored in criminology and told The Miami Herald in August that he and fellow UM lineman Kareem Brown might one day join the FBI.

''We could be sharpshooters, undercover guys,'' Pata said. ``A couple years later, after pro ball, you never know.''

Said Central coach Saunders: ``He was a great kid, a Christian. He had everything going for him. He was a role model and a motivator.''

Assistant Central coach Daryl Heidelburg said he saw the news on TV and had former and current players calling him. Heidelburg said Pata had been out to see his former team play several times this season, along with former Central teammate Darnell Jenkins.

''As far as I know, Bryan was a great kid,'' Heidelburg said. ``He had a good heart, and he always cared about our players.''

Pata's aunt, Lavictore Pata, talked of how proud she was of her nephew. ''He was a hard-working kid,'' Lavictore Pata said. ``He left behind three older sisters and four older brothers.''

One brother was seen outside the area of Pata's apartment, crying and being held by cousins and family friends.

Shawn Shahnazi, 36, a friend of Pata's, said he had just spoken to him Tuesday morning. Shahnazi said Pata called him to check up on Shawn's leg surgery. ''This is probably the greatest kid ever,'' Shahnazi said. ``This kid goes to school, does his work, doesn't drink, doesn't party.''

Pata was moved from defensive end to defensive tackle before the season to allow UM to insert Calais Campbell into the starting lineup.

''I love it -- wish I had done it two years ago,'' Pata said last month. ``It's real simple. It's going against a bigger guy, [which works] to my advantage.''

Pata had responded with his best season: 29 tackles, two sacks, six quarterback pressures, four tackles for losses and one forced fumble.

Last month, NFL Draft analyst John Murphy said Pata was UM's only senior who had improved his draft stock and stood as a potential third-round pick. The UM media guide describes Pata as a ``skilled pass rusher who combines size, strength and speed and has tremendous upside.''

At Central High, Pata was rated the nation's 26th-best defensive lineman and the No. 17 player in Florida by one rating service. Pata chose Miami over Rutgers, Florida and Oklahoma.

Miami Herald staff writers Andrea Torres, Christina Kent, Manny Navarro and Barry Jackson contributed to this report.