Detectives from the Santa Maria Police Department arrested two Allan Hancock College basketball players Jan. 10 in connection with the death of Terence Richardson, who was killed on the night of Dec. 30 near the campus.
Richardson, 23, was shot a short distance from the college on the 1000 block of East Jones, according to police, who said he was transported to Marian Regional Medical Center where he later died of his wounds.
The night of Jan. 10, officers from the Santa Maria Police Department—accompanied by the SWAT team—served two warrants on locations in Santa Maria, according to a press release. Police arrested Santa Maria residents Ali Mohammed, 19, and Lavell White, 22. Both are current members of the Allan Hancock men’s basketball team.
College officials were made aware of the situation the next day and issued a press release, saying they were stunned by the arrests and didn’t know that White and Mohammed were being investigated until they were arrested.
“We are extremely saddened by the death of Terence Richardson,” the statement reads. “While still trying to understand all of the details of this incident, we are stunned by the arrest of two of our student athletes.”
Hancock men’s basketball coach Tyson Aye was also shocked to learn about the arrests. He and athletic director Kim Ensing fielded questions from reporters on Jan. 12, saying Mohammed and White were held to high levels of expectation.
Before being arrested in connection with the shooting, White and Mohammed were known by their numbers on the court: No. 22 and No. 24, respectively. According to Hancock’s athletics website, the Bulldogs opened their conference season on Jan. 7 at home against Moorpark College, winning the game 73-50 with White leading in rebounds and even scoring a double-double.
According to the college’s statement, Richardson was a former Hancock student, but it’s not clear what the relationship was between Richardson and the suspects, and police haven’t yet released a motive. Phone calls to detectives at the department weren’t immediately returned.
The suspects were booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of murder, with bail set at $1 million each.
This article appears in Jan 15-22, 2015.
