Wizards' Rookie Blatche Shot
By Ivan Carter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 26, 2005; 11:45 AM
Washington Wizards rookie forward Andray Blatche is in serious but stable condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital after being shot in the chest early Sunday near his home in Alexandria, according to the Wizards.
Blatche, 19, was shot as he rode in a car in the city's west end. Police said they are investigating the attack as a possible carjacking. The shooting occurred at 6:13 a.m. in the 5100 block of Knapp Place as Blatche was traveling home with two friends.
Alexandria City police said the victim and his friends were followed by two masked men in a van and were approached by the men when they stopped the vehicle. One of the suspects had a gun and ordered the victim out of the car, police said, but the gunmen shot him in the upper body before he could exit.
Blatche's friends drove him from Knapp Place to the 3500 block of Duke Street before they called 911. According to police, no arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.
Wizards team president Ernie Grunfeld released the following statement early today: "We are aware of this situation. First and foremost, our primary concern is with Andray's well-being. The information we have received is that Andray was a victim of a carjacking. We have spoken to Andray and the doctors have informed us that he is in good condition and doing well. This is all the information that we have available at this time as this matter is under investigation."
Blatche was selected by the Wizards in the second round of June's NBA draft, and he signed a two-year contract with the team. The 6-foot-11 Blatche played at South Kent Prep (Connecticut) last season and is from Syracuse, N.Y.
His mother, Angela Oliver, told the Syracuse Post-Standard that the bullet missed her son's heart by an inch. "He's doing okay," she said Sunday night at the hospital. "He's breathing on his own. The bullet didn't hit any vital organs. He's been sedated, but he's been talking to me when he's come out of it."
The Wizards open training camp Oct. 4 in Richmond, Va., and start the regular season Nov. 2 at Toronto.
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