EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. (KRON) — In March, Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams visited East Palo Alto’s Jack Farrell Park and donated equipment to the space. Less than two months later, his cousin, Ralph Fields Jr., was shot and killed in the same park.
The shooting occurred Tuesday evening at 6:02 p.m. Three people were injured by the gunfire and Fields was killed.
Adams, who is an East Palo Alto native, was at Jack Farrell Park on March 28, partnering with Optimum Nutrition to gift outdoor fitness equipment to the park. Optimum Nutrition’s ‘Building Better Lives’ initiative aims to improve access to fitness equipment in underserved communities.
“If I had something like this when I was young, obviously things worked out, but I would have had an even better opportunity to show my talent or work on my game or just to stay fit in general. It’s a great program and I’m really happy to be a part of it,” Adams said.
But instead of using Adams’ donation to exercise, kids in the park found themselves running for their lives Tuesday. East Palo Alto Police Chief Jeff Liu said at least 60 children were playing in the park when shots rang out.
“There is a street code that’s out there. You even broke the street code by shooting where kids were. Kids were running, saying ‘mommy help me.’ This is totally unacceptable,” Liu said.
Officers found Fields still breathing, but he died before making it to a hospital. The other three victims are expected to survive, Liu said.
Adams was dealt to the Las Vegas Raiders in March after spending the first eight years of his career with the Green Bay Packers. He has made the Pro Bowl five times, the All-Pro team twice and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2020.